[Life Style] A moment that changed me: my partner drove off and left me – and in solitude I found my self-confidence

[GL HERO SHIMA]

When my relationship imploded, I chose to remain alone and isolated. It was the start of a new, much happier life, in which I became the safe place I could always return to

Jade Angeles Fitton

Wed 27 Mar 2024 07.00 GMT

Almost a decade ago, I lay on my back on the floor. Through the open window, I could hear the wind rattling loose stones and blackthorn. I was alone, which meant – although I didn’t know it yet – I had made it out of the worst years of my life.

A year earlier, depressed and in a state of heightened anxiety induced by the unhappy relationship I was in, I had looked for something to steady my mind and my hands. A lover of the medieval, I had got into painting illuminated manuscripts and would come up with imaginary commandments, one of which read: “If all else fails, just lie on the floor and wait for something to happen.” Now, I was.

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2024/mar/27/a-moment-that-changed-me-my-partner-drove-off-and-left-me-and-in-solitude-i-found-my-self-confidence