In France, I used to work as an organisational psychologist for my city’s council. I did not feel like I was helping people and supporting them like I knew I could. I did not have the freedom to accompany and help them the way I wanted to. I was not the psychologist I had imagined during my studies.
In 2015, I took a leap of faith and resigned to take time for myself, and start a more personal quest. Back then, I was only 26 years old, had no children, no mortgage, and nobody important in my love life. It was the perfect moment to leave this life that did not suit me anymore. So, I decided to go overseas for a year. I needed a break, and I needed to reconnect with myself. Determined to radically change my life, I flew to the other side of the world to Australia, to Brisbane to be precise. I remember that feeling of well-being, relief and freedom when I landed at the airport.
Taking a year off was one of the best decisions I have made in my life. It has allowed me to know what I want in my life, but also to live my life on my own terms. Like I often say, knowing what you do not want in your life is good, but knowing what you truly desire is gold. That’s exactly what expatriation brought into my life.
For the last two years, I have found a balance in a lot of aspects in my life such as:
- My spiritual life: I used to think that meditating was not for me. I started practising it last year, and I can now feel the benefits of meditating. It is now a part of my daily routine. I have learnt how to understand and listen to my body. I always knew that the moon cycles had an impact on my emotions and my feelings, and now I understand why. I am still learning but more and more I am aware of the moon’s influence on myself. I have integrated it in my life, it is a way to understand my feeling and my emotions. Spending time alone is another great way to grow as a person. I am now really happy to spend time by myself and to focus on how I feel and why. It is not an easy exercise but it is one definitely worth it.
- My love life: I live a happy and loving relationship with my partner. He is my soulmate, partner, best friend and almost a business partner. I am so grateful to have him in my life.
- My health life: I am on a journey to become vegetarian and this for many reasons. The first one is that I am concerned about the environment and animals’ welfare and the second one is that I care for my health, and I think that a plant based diet is healthier for me. I also stopped smoking.
- My work life: Expatriation was the starting point of this long journey that leads to the discovery of oneself and what I really wanted. Passionate about this topic, I decided to create my own business to help others with their expatriation and self-discovery journey. With my training in psychology, my experience, and my life as an expatriate, I accompany and support women and men who wish to succeed in their expatriation projects, but also in their personal development and in creating the life they desire. Being my own boss is such a great feeling. I value freedom so much and live my life and my job on my own terms. It’s important for me to be independent and this aligns with my values and who I am.
As I said, expatriation has allowed me to take some time off for myself. I have spent a lot of time reading, walking in nature, at home, wherever I felt comfortable, and I have used this time to think about what I really wanted in my life, what I wanted to change, and I paid attention to my thoughts and my feelings. I did not try to deny them by keeping myself busy. This free time I have had on my hands has been a gift which I have used to invest in myself, my personal development and to become a better version of myself.
By Anna Salido – www.anasalido.com
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