A woman has revealed how she got divorced, quit her job, moved countries and went back to school in her mid-30s.
Nezahat Sevim was constantly told that it was “too late” for her to start over life.
But today, it’s the best decision she’s ever made.
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After growing “fed up” with her career and feeling “unfulfilled” within her personal life, she knew it was time for a change.
And so, she got divorced, quit her job and moved from France to London to go back to school.
“Almost everything in my life changed in an instant,” the communications professional, aged 41, told What’s The Jam.
“I transitioned from a well-established career with a good position and salary to becoming a student.
“I left the workplace and the country I had called home for ten years, the comfort of my own flat, to live in a small dormitory with other people who were 15 years younger than me.
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“On top of that, I went through a divorce.
“Experts often say that even one of these changes can be incredibly stressful.
“But I changed them all at once.”
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Nezahat had always known that she wanted a career where storytelling was at the forefront.
At first, she tried her hand at acting, until the opportunity to become a news presenter came up.
The 41-year-old says becoming a journalist was her “true purpose” and she loved telling the stories of breaking news from around the world.
But over the years, after constantly being exposed to distressing footage, her mental health started to take a downward toll.
She said: “It didn’t appear overnight.
“I believed I was tougher than the challenges I faced, but my outlook on life and the world turned cynical.
“The impacts on my personal life were serious; such as developing a fear of flying and the anxiety of being in crowded places, expecting imminent disaster.
“Also, the imbalance of my work and well-being became impossible to ignore.”
Nezahat longed for a way to continue doing what she loved, without the strain.
She turned to marketing and communications, but knew this meant going back to school to earn another degree.
At 35, she was accepted onto a course at King’s College London.
And although some people in her life weren’t on board with the drastic decision, she felt “empowered” by it.
She said: “Making the decision was the hardest part, but after that, I felt so empowered and excited about the first step towards a new chapter.
“I couldn’t wait to embrace the unknown and start my life over from scratch.
“But my thoughts shifted constantly.
“One day, I felt confident and the next, I was thinking it was a terrible idea.
“I had people telling me that I’d end up being alone for the rest of my life and that I’d never find a job.
“But I realised I had to choose whether I wanted to live a life story worth telling, or let fear hold me back.
“And I kept reminding myself of why I made this choice in the first place to keep me going.”
Soon, she had a new group of friends and after graduating, was offered a job at an international charity, Animals Asia, in PR and communications.
Now, she’s remarried and is proud to call the UK “home”.
She hopes sharing her story will act as inspiration for those considering restarting their lives to take the leap.
Her biggest piece of advice? Plan.
Nezahat added: “Plan every little detail of your new life and take actions to prevent yourself from running into any major problems.
“You can introduce yourself as a new person; there are no restrictions.
“Start everything with a solid goal in mind.
“I know it’s not easy to plan for a new life while feeling stuck, but there needs to be a sense of ambition.
“Seeing my peers, colleagues and friends around my age advancing in their careers and building families while I was starting over often made me feel like I was falling behind.
“Like I had lost years that I couldn’t get back.
“But don’t listen to the people who want to stop you, as more often than not, they are too scared to change in their lives.
“Life is too short to stay stuck in the same place for years.
“Now, I can safely say the struggle was all worth it.
“It’s never too late to reinvent yourself and create a life you wish for.”
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