Feel Like You Again Series Part 1: How I lost myself.

I’ve been holding this story close for a while, but something in me knew it was time to let it out. Maybe you’ll see a little of yourself in it.

After our move to Colorado, everything seemed to fall apart. Of course, no one could tell from the outside—but on the inside, I was deeply lost.

I’d just gone through a series of medical issues and then uprooted my entire life to move for my husband’s job. What I really needed was connection and community—but instead, I buried myself in work.

It cost me two years of feeling stuck, foggy, and completely out of touch with who I was at this stage of life.

And while a remote job might sound like a dream to some, let me tell you—when you're isolated at home in a new town with no family or friends, staring at a screen all day, it’s absolutely miserable.

I imagine this is how some women feel when they’re home with kids, and their husbands are out in the world—working social jobs, around like-minded adults. Maybe it’s not a vacation, but it’s still something.

Anyway, I digress...

The point is: I was holding so tightly to who I used to be that I couldn’t see a way forward.

I was depressed, rapidly gaining weight (thanks to health issues, yes—but also emotional stress), and quietly spiraling.

I’d spend all week working, barely moving, and by the time the weekend rolled around I didn’t have the energy (or the pants that fit)to leave the house.

After two years of spinning in circles and clinging to the version of life I left behind in Arizona, I knew the only way to change... was to change.

I had to dig deep to find myself again.

I kept thinking: Why can’t I just be who I used to be?

The fun, carefree, adventurous, social, healthy Amy.

And the answer?

I had to give myself grace. My life looked different now. I looked different.

And I’m not 25 anymore—I’ll be 39 in a few months—and frankly, sh*t is just different.

After our Island Revive Retreat in January 2025, something clicked.

I knew things had to shift.

So, I took control of what I could.

I held on to the feeling I wanted and began doing little things that brought me back to it—in my new body, my new life, my new stage.

Eventually, I took a massive leap of faith and cut ties with the life I’d built in Arizona and quit my remote job. As beautiful as it had been, it was keeping me tethered to a version of myself that no longer existed.

As soon as I made that leap? Everything changed.

Truly—everything I’d been craving was waiting for me on the other side.

I can’t tell you how much more alive I feel now—more social, more energized, healthier, and more me than I’ve felt in years.

Not like “young Amy,” but like current Amy—lit up by life, confident, adventurous, embodied.

And I know I’m not alone in this.

So much of our lives get eaten up by to-do lists and shoulds.

How often do you find yourself going along with what everyone else wants or needs… putting yourself last… letting the days slip by… and then thinking: Who even am I anymore?

But then we tell ourselves nothing can change—so we just keep going.

It doesn’t have to be that way.

You can prioritize yourself. You can reconnect with your favorite version of you and still show up for the people and things you love—probably even better.

If any part of this resonates with you—let it be your gentle nudge into a season of remembering who you are.

Not to start over, but to really reconnect. You’re not alone if that’s something you’ve been craving.

Leave a comment, send me a message, or come say hi over on Instagram @the.nurturing.nomad.

Whether it’s through shared stories, upcoming retreats, or the cozy corner I’m building inside The Nurtured Space—there’s room for you here. 🫶

Talk soon,

Amy