One Year After Leaving: My Life Is Free, Full, and Finally Mine

Hey you. 💛

It’s been a while since I wrote those first blog posts—the ones filled with heartbreak, fear, and uncertainty. Back then, I was writing from the middle of the mess. I was raw. I was healing. I was clinging to hope like a life raft.

And now…

I’m here to tell you that hope paid off.

I Am Happy. Truly Happy.

Not just “posting on social media with a smile” happy. Not just “pretending I’m fine” happy. Deep, soul-settling, exhale-the-pain kind of happy.

My job? It’s going amazingly. I’m doing something I love, something I’m actually good at—and being recognised for it. I feel valued, respected, inspired. Every day I wake up with purpose. Not dread.

I Moved Into My Own 5-Bedroom Home (rented but mine!) 🏡

That’s right. A full, beautiful, safe home—in my hometown, close to family and filled with laughter, warmth, and peace. The kind of home I used to dream about when I was hiding in the corners of my old life.

It’s not just bricks and walls. It’s freedom. It’s fresh starts. It’s the space where I get to rewrite my story.

My Children Are Smiling Again

And this… this is everything.

They laugh. They play. They relax. They are free. They’re not walking on eggshells anymore. They’re not being called names, belittled, or made to feel wrong for just being kids.

Their personalities are blooming again. Even my eldest—my emotional tornado (who seems to have inherited more than just his dad’s eye colour 😅)—is slowly learning how to manage his big emotions without fear.

We have tough days. But they are OUR days. Safe days. Honest days.

My Mum and Dad Are Back in Our Lives 💕

We’ve reconnected. My boys have their Nan and grandad again. And I have my mum—the support I once thought I’d lost forever. Healing old wounds while building new memories? That’s the real gift of freedom.

I’ve Found My Person

Yes, the kind that makes you feel like a queen. Who lifts you. Holds your space. Makes life feel soft where it used to be sharp. I didn’t think love like this existed for me. But when you stop settling for pain, you make room for everything good.

This person doesn’t just tolerate my past. They respect my growth. They see my heart—and they hold it gently.

As For Him…

He’s still himself. Full of false promises. Still trying to poke at me through occasional manipulation. But he’s in another country, in another relationship, and mostly leaves me alone.

And I? I have zero energy for his games. He doesn’t have access to my peace anymore.

One Year Later, I Am Alive Again

Looking back at the woman who wrote those first posts, I want to hold her. I want to tell her:

You have no idea how beautiful life gets once you stop surviving and start choosing.

I can’t believe how much I tolerated. How little I valued myself. How deeply I believed his lies.

But now? I see her—the old me—with compassion. She was doing her best. She was protecting her children. She was planning her escape. She was stronger than she ever knew.

And if you’re reading this now—still in it, still unsure, still stuck—please hear me:

You can do it.
You are not crazy.
You are not unlovable.
You are not weak.
You are simply waiting to rise.

🔥 Your Challenge Today

• Write your future self a letter. The version of you one year from now.
• Describe her life. Her joy. Her home. Her freedom.
• Then ask yourself: What would she want me to do today?
• 
  

You are stronger than your struggles.
And one day—sooner than you think—you’ll be writing your own “One Year Later” post with tears of pride in your eyes.

I’m living proof. 💛

📚 RECOMMENDED FOR YOU:

💡 Book: “Untamed” by Glennon Doyle – A fierce, relatable journey about breaking free, reclaiming your voice, and living unapologetically.

💡 Free Download: “Letter to Your Future Self” Journal Prompt – coming soon!