How Slowing Down Abroad Helped Me Find Peace

For so long, my nervous system had been in survival mode. Between the fire that took everything I owned, the loss of my sweet boy Dallas, and the whirlwind of change that followed, my body didn’t know what peace even felt like anymore. I thought I could “outrun” the pain by starting over in a new place.

But as I soon learned, peace doesn’t come from a plane ticket.

It comes from slowing down long enough to hear yourself again.

From Vacationing to Traveling

This was my first time solo traveling abroad — completely on my own. I was used to vacations, not traveling. Vacations had always been sightseeing, trying new restaurants, hopping from one activity to the next, making sure I didn’t miss a thing.

But this experience was different.

Suddenly, I didn’t have to be anywhere at a certain time. I didn’t have an office job, or committees, events, or social obligations to attend. I still had a few clients to manage, but it was flexible — no one was expecting instant replies or last-minute meetings. For the first time in a long time, I was able to breathe.

Still, it took time to adjust. I kept feeling like I should be doing something — exploring more, seeing everything, staying busy. That vacation mindset runs deep. But when I finally stayed in one place longer than seven days, everything began to shift.

I started to realize I didn’t have to do everything. Some days, just waking up slowly, sipping coffee while journaling, or walking aimlessly through town was enough. For once, I didn’t feel obligated to be anywhere — and that freedom changed everything.

Finding Peace in the Unknown

My deepest peace didn’t come in the moments surrounded by people or adventure — it came when I was completely alone.

I spent weeks in a place where almost no one spoke English. I didn’t know where I was half the time, and that vulnerability — being truly on my own in the unknown — was both terrifying and freeing. I was homesick, emotional, and at times, lonely. But I pushed through.

I let myself sit with my feelings instead of distracting myself from them. I let the emotions surface — fear, grief, exhaustion, longing — and I wrote them all down. It helped me to release what I have been holding inside.

Without time constraints, full calendars, or the constant noise of daily life, I was finally able to hear my own thoughts. I let myself rest when I was tired. I stayed in bed on the days my body needed to cry. I didn’t answer texts or emails right away. I responded when I was ready.

And in that space — that stillness — my heart started to heal.

The slow mornings became my sanctuary. I’d meditate, write, and notice the smallest details: the way sunlight spilled across my floor, the sound of birds outside, the smell of the ocean air, the colors of the flowers.... The more I allowed myself to slow down, the more peace I began to feel — not from the outside world, but from within.

The Healing That Happens When You Pause

When I stopped trying to “fix” everything, life began to unfold naturally. My creativity returned. My joy returned. I found a calm I hadn’t felt in years — not because life suddenly got easier, but because I finally was able to stop.

The world tells us slowing down means falling behind. But I learned that slowing down is actually how you catch up — to yourself.

Because when you pause, you start to notice the beauty you missed while rushing: the warmth of a sunrise, the softness of your breath, the relief of finally being okay with where you are.

A Note to Anyone Who’s Still Searching

If you’re in a season of chaos, loss, or uncertainty — I want you to know it’s okay to slow down. You don’t have to keep moving just to prove you’re okay.

Sometimes peace finds you when you let yourself be still — when you allow yourself to cry, rest, write, and feel. When you let go of the need to constantly be “doing.”

That’s when the healing happens.

That’s when you finally come home — not to a place, but to yourself.