By the time I was 40, I was extremely dissatisfied, unhealthy, and not sure how to fix it. I was divorced, upstairs from another failed long-term relationship, and living with my father and wife while trying to regroup again. My body felt it fought against me. I was obese, fighting anxiety and sadness, and stuck with a dew that slowed down my creativity.
A few years ago, I left a 10+ year old education career and launched my freelance writing business. I'm desperate to make it work. I stayed late hunting for clients, eating deli sandwiches and french fries from delivering apps, and slightly moving my body. I feel like I'm venting to an early death – like my mother, who died from breast cancer at 49.
I spent most of my adult life giving others through my work as a teacher and overseer, but I never learned how to bring back anything to myself. I knew I needed a radical change to regain my health and happiness, so I decided to move abroad.
Finding the courage to leave everything
After paying off some debt and saving enough to be safe, I bought a one-way ticket in Thailand. I have nearly $ 2,000 in my name and no clear plan.
In Chiang Mai, I rented a bright, comfortable apartment for $ 350 a month and started working with a local herbalist who helped me meet my weight and emotional health. For six months, I was only focused on healing.
I found it easier to choose myself in Thailand. The cost of living it makes sense for me, fresh fruits and vegetables are abundant, and I have discovered the strength of simple rituals: sunny walks, massages, and weekly sauna treatment. I used to think that self-care is for the rich. Thailand taught me otherwise. Healing, I learned, can be a way of life and not just a reward for over -work.
Living abroad helped me build a healthy relationship with myself
By the time I left Thailand, I lost 60 pounds. But more importantly, I gained confidence, clarity, and a changed sense of self -esteem.
That shift also appeared in my work as well. I stopped chasing the low-paid freelance gigs and I started looking for content marketing clients that appreciate my skills. I allowed myself to build a writing business that fits my life.
Since 2018, I have lived in 10 countries, including Vietnam, Rwanda, Turkey, and now Mexico. With each move, I had to redefine how my health was prioritized.
Running a half marathon is about reclaiming my body
Later, I arrived in Mérida, Mexico, where I discovered an emerging local culture. I signed up for some 5k races but quickly realized that I prefer.
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I spent six months training for my first half marathon, which I completed in January 2025.
Crossing that end line is more than physical endurance. It's about reclaiming my body after years of connectivity and burnout. This is a celebration of the life I built. It is a life where I can finally put my health, joy, and creativity.
Leaving the US has saved my life
Walking away from my life in the US is not easy. I was afraid I couldn't make enough money, which I felt wasolated or washoricking. But what's more afraid of me is that staying in a life slowly dries me down.
I always felt that I had to earn rest, health, and happiness in the US. In other countries, I have given myself to be. I can move more slowly, eat better, and create from a place of fullness.
I'm still freelance, but now I'm training other writers too. I run creative writing circles. I work in a memoir about my journey from burnout to well -being. I built a life that I truly love – one that doesn't need me to be perfect, just there. And it all started when I said yes to something else.
