Blog Post 7 – Loving Myself Through It All

Funny enough, I was planning this post for yesterday - but Pisac had other plans for me. Life has a way of reminding us to flow, to surrender to the timing of things. Finishing this blog post had to wait till today - but here it is! With special thanks to my friend Sidney, who inspired me to write this piece.

Self-love and Self-Care for the Wandering Soul

You are the one you share the rest of your life with. People and connections come and go - some leave pieces of their light, others lessons I didn’t know I needed. But yourself? You are always there, with you.

I’m the one who wakes up with my thoughts, my dreams, my heartbeat every morning. That is why self-love is so important. It’s the foundation for everything else.

“You are your own home, no matter where in the world you wander” - unknown. (Great googling for quotes related to self-love, haha.)

But how does one practice self-love in a world full of triggers? While traveling, it can be even more challenging to look after yourself. The ever-changing environments, different cultural perspectives, unfamiliar food, different climates - the lack of stability means you have to reinvent yourself over and over again. And the goodbyes… those can be the hardest.

It’s like walking straight into your own reflection in a glass door. Boom. Ouch.

Where Does One Find Love for Oneself?

But self-love - you can find it in many things. In that feeling walking down the street with a bunch of fresh flowers in your hands, taking in the colors and the smells. In sitting in a café with a perfectly brewed cappuccino, watching the people pass by - observing the style they dress, which reflects the way they express themselves, their colors, the energy they radiate. Who doesn’t love people-watching?

It’s also in sitting quietly in the forest, watching the river for hours, waiting to spot a platypus. Or sitting in a drum circle with the Huni Kuin, an Amazonian tribe, closing your eyes to feel the beat of the drums,  to listen to the sound of the guitars, and to their prayers filling the night air.

It’s in those simple, quiet moments of being - the kind that remind you how beautiful it is just to exist.

I find a lot of self-love in my daily rituals. I love putting my brightest lipstick on in the morning. Choosing the colors and style of my clothes reflect what mood I am in and how I feel that day. Wearing my jewelry - each piece telling a story of places I have been - it makes me feel radiant, alive and connected to the different versions of me I’ve met along the way.

There’s actually a book, Women who run with the wolves, that talks about this too: how we go through life mourning the various deaths of these versions of ourselves as we evolve. You need to embrace that - which can be quite hard, I know.

Happy me hiking a weekend ago. Carrying my flowers & colors everywhere! - Sacred Valley, Peru

The Cost of Travel - Choosing Yourself Again and Again

The way I travel the world is often perceived as pure freedom - golden sunsets, mountains, oceans and a lot of adventure and the magic that comes with it. But there is another side to it, the one that tests your strength and heart in unexpected ways.

Moving around without a home base - or even when your ‘home’ is a tent or a van a home - it can be exhausting for the nervous system. When that happens, your guard drops a little, and you become more vulnerable for self-neglect, you enter survival mode.

There were moments I didn’t choose myself - when I abandoned my own needs in fear of losing ‘love’ or stayed too long in a place that no longer felt right.

Moments when I physically barely couldn’t, but had to somehow take care of myself. Like when I caught Dengue fever - a mosquito born virus - and felt the weakest I have ever felt in my life. I was all alone in a hostel dorm on the Peruvian coast. I didn’t have anyone to look after me, go to the pharmacy for me. That was also a great learning experience. I had to learn how to accept some help eventually. To begin with I didn’t even dare to ask, because I am a stubborn independent woman - so I would make myself crawl across the street, almost fainting halfway, just to buy myself some paracetamol.

When I woke up in Bolivia with my whole head blown up as a balloon from a viral infection. When I had to guide myself breathing through a panic attack on a random bathroom floor in my hotel in a town in the middle of nowhere, knowing no one. Those are the moments I might not have posted on social media, or well - maybe a filtered glimpse of them. But you never see a full picture of someones life online. Don’t forget that.

Those were moments that were extremely tough - but they taught me what self-love truly is. It’s not just the pretty quotes or the moments you buy yourself flowers. It’s also in holding yourself through the hardest times. Telling yourself “You’ve got this”, even when it feels like the ground beneath your feet just collapsed - like a sinkhole - and you barely believe it.

We All Go Through These Lectures of Self-Love - It’s Part of Being Human

I’ve met plenty of others along the way facing their own storms - other solo travellers, locals, friends. We all carry our stories of falling apart and finding our way back. Life just has this funny habit of throwing you straight into your own reflection - boom - and it hurts. But somehow, each time, we rise again.

Just when you think you’ve lost your spark and motivation to move on, someone - or something - reminds you how bright you still shine. The universe sends diamonds, brilliant souls who reflect back your own light.

I’ve met some beautiful people that gave me that insight when I was feeling lost. And on the other hand, I’ve been that diamond for others.

I remember some gorgeous girls I met on my journey, going through these phases too - wanting to give up their dream trip and just go home because everything felt like it was falling apart. You can see it in someones eyes if they are about to cry - you just recognise it because you’ve been in their position before. Sometimes, a simple hug or quiet presence, or just listening is enough to remind someone they are never truly alone in this. We are all human and all face similar challenges.

But even then, no one else can sit with your emotions for you. That’s where self-love comes in - it becomes your anchor.

Let’s Live in The Present and Love Ourselves

It’s not just in face masks or journal pages - it’s in listening to your body, forgiving yourself, and remembering that even when everything else shifts, you are your home. Your rock.

Here and now, in the present moment.

Because  in truth, the past is right in front of you, as the future rests quietly behind. You’ll understand this pre-Inca theory when you’re ready. In the stillness, in the present moment and the love you hold for yourself.

So love yourself! Always and through it all.

With warmth,
Kimberly 🌻