The person I’ve become since moving to the Scottish Highlands

Finding a quieter rhythm in the Scottish Highlands ⛰️

I have now been living in the Scottish Highlands for almost nine years.

And a lot has changed in this time.

I arrived as a freshly graduated master’s student, widely ambitious and intent in forging a career as a wildlife conservationist, whilst struggling to make enough to afford my city home. Now I work as a full time creative, live in a Tiny Home on a rural farm, and rejoice that my 9-5 days are long behind me.

But it is the changes on the inside that have been utterly transformative, without which none of the above would have happened.

The Scottish Highlands have sculpted who I am now.

Let me introduce you to her…

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I’ve found a different version of ‘success’

Success means something very different to me now and is no longer shaped by job titles or the items I own.

Instead, it means being able to wake up without an alarm, always having the opportunity to chase the sun in my tiny camper, enjoying gentle evenings when I’m not dreading the following day. It means having the energy to invest in the relationships that are important to me and having plenty of alone time to recharge. It means I can make money from doing something I truly love and still enrich the lives of others.

I’m grateful to have learnt that time is my most precious resource and I now do everything I can to protect it. I deserve to live a life that adheres to my own values.

I believe in myself

When I first moved to the Scottish Highlands, I was terrified of everything. I feared failing in my career. Or never making friends. Of driving on windy roads and navigating endless landscapes with limited phone signal.

This was especially frightening as, for many of these challenges, I was in it alone, far away from my family and friends, and in a place so rural that simply getting a carton of milk in the winter can feel like an expedition.

To say I was out of my comfort zone is an understatement. But over time, I watched my confidence grow, building on each tiny win so that, now, I like nothing more than setting off on a solo adventure, no longer constrained by worry and self-doubt, quietly confident that I can handle anything life has to throw at me.

I’ve learnt the value of patience

Living in the Highlands means I’ve become acutely aware of each passing season.

The weather can be dramatic in such an exposed landscape. The winters are a far cry from the drizzly affairs I’d experienced growing up in England or the Isle of Arran and even the warmer seasons can pose challenges, with summer bringing biting insects and hordes of tourist that strip the land of the quiet I so desperately crave.

Rather than battling with the weather, fiercely shovelling snow or lathering insect repellent, I now see the value in letting seasons unfold at their own pace, whispering thanks that I get to experience the wonders of nature at such close quarters all year round.

I cherish my creativity

Before moving to the Highlands, I considered my creativity as something that I’d left in childhood. Having pursued a science-driven career, the idea of creating for the sake of creating felt superfluous, and something to ‘grow out of’.

Then lock down hit and as the world got quieter, I re-found my once dormant creativity, and the spark was lit.

In such a place as the Highlands, you can’t help but be inspired. Every day I’m drawn to capturing small moments of magic. Of documenting my own relationship with somewhere that feels almost too beautiful to be real. Adoring the face that I can share tiny snippets of my home with people all over the world.

I’ve learnt acceptance

For much of my adult life, I felt like I’ve been battling with my nature. I was constantly frustrated at my lack of ease. That I couldn’t cope with the level of stimulation that others seemed not to notice.

It was during my third year in the Highlands that I came across the term ‘highly sensitive person’ and suddenly everything made sense.

I’m not someone who could ever thrive in a busy city environment. I need the organic quiet of the Highlands, that soothes my nerves and fills my heart. It is in this place that I’ve come to terms with my limitations and chosen to, instead, focus on all the positives that this heightened sensitivity gifts me. I accept who I am now. And I’m rather proud of her.

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I look forward to meeting myself in another decade and continuing to share my tiny corner with the world with my beautiful readers. Subscribe if you’d like more from my slow Scottish life 💚

Until next time,

Molly xx

About the author

Hello, I’m Molly, a writer, YouTuber and almost author, living in a Tiny Home in the Scottish Highlands. I’ve built this publication to empower readers to carve out their own version of a slow life. Find out more about this publication HERE.