SO MANY WAYS – MARIE

Marie – Praia Do Amado, Portugal
37 years, from Berlin, Germany

Marie worked in anaesthesia and intensive care in a small acute hospital. She was in her fourth year of training to become a medical doctor. Then she quit. Difficult working conditions, 24-hour shifts and a patriarchal-hierarchical system took away her enjoyment of the profession. She was so stressed that she felt she could no longer hear her inner voice, she no longer knew what was good for her. She lacked a connection to herself. The big city, with its many distractions, and the working conditions made her unhappy.

In each year of training, she was entitled to a sabbatical month. She used this for two yoga teacher trainings in India and Thailand. In the last sabbatical month, she flew to Portugal to buy her van, which she had previously rented for a holiday, and took it back to Berlin. It was a long process until she resigned. First just the thought of changing the job, then quitting completely. She packed her things, sublet her flat in Berlin and set off for Portugal. It was a transition into a new phase of life for Marie. Over the following months, she slowly found herself again.

At times, Marie felt very alone. Despite a strong yoga and meditation practice, she found it difficult to sustain herself, in the quiet of nature, without distractions. Slowly, she learned to give her emotions space and to feel herself again. The longer she is on the road, the more she appreciates time alone with herself.

Marie usually stays at a small autonomous campsite on the coast. Of course, at the beginning it is exciting and adventurous to spend the night in the great outdoors, always finding new places. But especially when she is emotionally vulnerable, she appreciates going to her steady place in the evening, where she knows a few people. That gives her peace and stability.