I was born in a small town in Ukraine, raised with the quiet, persistent belief that to succeed, I had to work three times harder than anyone born in a big city. In my early adulthood, my biggest mistake was assuming that only major cities could offer real opportunities — and that I could simply squeeze my mental health into my schedule whenever I happened to have time for it.
Moving to Kyiv in my early 20s felt like the ultimate dream: a chance to prove I belonged. But to survive there, I felt I had to fit a precise, demanding system. It wasn't enough to simply stay healthy; you were expected to hold a premium membership at a high-end fitness center just to prove your worth to others. You had to maintain an active, highly visible social life, eat at the right places, and project total composure. Everything was about trying to impress others.
I chased corporate beauty standards, ignoring every warning sign of burnout
After I graduated from college, I set my sights on becoming an international flight attendant for Ukraine's national carrier. When I landed the job, I thought I had made it. Instead, impostor syndrome hit me on day one. I felt like I was constantly falling behind my pe...