100% the best thing I did was move out of the USA. I left a toxic environment where extreme views on both sides are constantly thrown in your face, friends and family divided by political ideology, people stressed 24/7, waiting for the next disaster, scared to be canceled, poisoned with chemicals in their food, stuck in a medical system meant to keep you sick, in debt up to your eyeballs.
I left for my mental health. I knew I could not handle the extremes on both sides and the intense hoops you have to jump through just to be someone’s friend or part of a group. I was often alone and hung out with my same 4 people because it was just too much for my nervous system to deal with the rest.
For a long time I thought there was something wrong with me, but no. I was just in the wrong environment.
The connections I’ve made here in the first three weeks are more and better than the connections I’ve made in the last 10-12 years in Austin. Women who want to be friends, want to connect, have lives, careers, businesses, and also like to have fun. I’m so glad I’m back in an environment where there’s no either/or, it’s just both/and.
As someone who didn’t grow up in the USA I understand others see it as their home. I don’t & never have. It’s my default country because I happened to be born American. It’s a great country for a lot things, but a terrible country for just LIVING LIFE & having a community with friends from all over the world with different points of view.
So thankful for this life that allows me to travel, live the life I want and meet people who see you the person first, not you the race/religion/political affiliation.
If you’re having a hard time connecting with others and struggling to find people you enjoy being around, it’s not you. It’s your environment. Change your surroundings, change your life, you’d be surprised how fast everything else will change. Your people are out there, and they’ll find you.