Escaping corporate America and considering alternative living options advice please

Findapath-Career Change

I am a 30 years old female. I am looking for some advice from people who have escaped corporate America and the 9-5 life. I genuinely can’t take it anymore. I have a mental breakdown daily bc I cannot focus on my passions or figure out a plan to escape this misery. I don’t care to live a traditional “normal” life that most Americans do. I would live in a shack if it meant I got some of my time back. Open to career recs, skills I can acquire to build myself a better life, people who have left country or figured out alternative ways to thrive and get by without spending all day everyday working etc. I am open to anything truly and I’m already living frugally very much not after a luxurious life. I just want peace and to be able to start getting out of fight or flight mode. That is what I need.

My life hasn’t been easy and I have been working since I was like 12 years old. I am exhausted have nothing to show for dedicating over a decade of my time to multiple different companies, different jobs. Right now I am in sales and work for a call center the job started off incredible no micro managing, high commissions until CVS took over and ruined everything we literally don’t even have 2 seconds between calls and I don’t even feel I can use the restroom without being criticized for stepping away. I’m not a robot and have no interest in being one. Each call and everyday is causing me immense stress.

I’ve survived the death of my dad at 18, a highly abusive mom who tormented me and prevented me from finishing or even going to the college I spent all of high school working hard and was accepted. I’ve survived domestic abuse and being stalked by a stranger for 2 years for my mom to make sure to torture me during this time. To the point where I almost gave up. I don’t have a degree because of it and she has orchestrated countless situations where I’m Homeless so I’ve been couch surfing since 18 and my nervous system is still in survival mode and I truly can’t take it I have panic attacks and mental breakdowns everyday. I am trying to relocate and do not want to get an in person job as I do not like the city I moved to (again working towards leaving). I am able to just provide just enough for myself to cover rent and some bills and groceries. I have made sacrifices and have a very strict budget. I am not interested at all in dating or romantic relationships and I’m not going to rely on “potentially finding my soulmate” or “finding a better paying job” I want to take action now.

I would be willing to live very frugally and make sacrifices. I’m not after a luxurious life don’t care about traveling, don’t care about expensive clothes or bags or dinners. I make all my own food and eat an affordable plant based diet. I am open to going abroad if it meant I could work an easier part time job and live somewhere even outside of the United States and my money would go further. What I have saved up is hardly much but would go further outside of the country. Again open to all recs, ideas and your experiences. Thanks in advance.

Posted Jan 27, 2026, 1:55 PM UTC

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