Courtesy of Laura Kerr
- Laura Kerr is a 42-year-old single mom in Scotland.
- She had a successful, decadeslong career in local government until she had a health emergency.
- She quit her job and sold her house, moving in with her parents and sleeping on their kitchen floor.
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Laura Kerr, a hypnotherapist and founder of Elle Kay. It has been edited for length and clarity.
Just over a year ago, I was working high up in our local government, managing hundreds of staff and millions of British pounds. I often worked seven days a week until two in the morning. Even when I took annual leave for vacation, I’d be getting emails and phone calls from work. It was a lot — relentless. I was completely consumed by work.
At the same time, I didn’t see a way out.
As a single mom, I felt trapped. I wanted to give my 13-year-old daughter a big house and nice vacations. If it had just been me, I would have quit and lived in a campervan, but for her sake, I couldn’t.
I had a health emergency because of stress
Although there were elements of the job I liked, the sheer volume of work was unmanageable, and I started developing hives and rashes all over my body. Initially, I thought I was allergic to something, but allergy testing revealed that I was wrong. It had to have been the stress. I woke up many nights to have a cold shower after clawing away at my itchy skin through the night.
In August 2024, I woke up one morning to get ready for work, and I could feel my heart spasm. My body went numb. I called emergency services and told them what was happening. They said they would send an ambulance, but to call again if anything changed.
Courtesy of Laura Kerr
My daughter was still home from school. I told her that if I were to pass out, she’d need to call emergency services again.
The ambulance rushed me to our local hospital, where they carried out a manoeuvre that put my heart back into a normal rhythm, and kept me in for blood tests.
I was diagnosed with a heart condition, Supraventricular Tachycardia, that could be, and in my case was, triggered by chronic stress.
My doctor signed me off from work.
I moved back in with my parents
To lessen my financial load and give me space to decide if I’d return to my job or pursue something else, I sold my large house and moved back in with my parents, who lived only a few miles away. I didn’t just sell the house, but everything in it as well, except for my art, clothing, shoes, and sentimental items. It felt so good to get rid of everything and turn up at my parents’ house with nothing but a car full of stuff.
Their house only has two bedrooms, and I wanted my daughter to have her own space. She was happy to move in with her grandparents after seeing how unwell I had been. We decorated her new room the way she wanted, and slept in the kitchen on a blow-up bed that I stored in the cupboard.
I also quit my job around the same time, knowing I couldn’t go back to the level of stress associated with the job.
This was the fresh start I needed
That first night sleeping in the kitchen was the best night of sleep I ever recalled having. I didn’t feel nervous about money and felt reassured that if there was another emergency with my heart, my parents were in the house. The weight of the world had been lifted off my shoulders.
I didn’t feel scared of what was next or embarrassed about being back with my parents after a 20-year-long career. This was the fresh start I needed.
Almost immediately, the hives and rashes disappeared. There were no signs of heart problems, even though I am still awaiting an operation to prevent any emergencies in the future.
Since I’ve been living here, I’ve not changed my parents’ routines or lifestyle, which has taken some getting used to. They are night owls, and I often wake to the ice machine at midnight when I’m trying to sleep. Their TV is always on very loudly, and their dogs bark constantly. But I remind myself that this is their house and only short-term.
I think they think I’m a teenager, telling me how to do laundry and look after my daughter. I ignore it all, just very grateful for their massive support.
My dream of being a hypnotherapist has become a reality. I’ve been retraining since I quit my job and now have my own business up and running. Living with my parents has given me the freedom to pursue this dream.
I hope to move out at the start of next year. I can’t wait to have my own space again, although I’m eternally thankful for my parents taking me in.
The decisions I’ve made this year — to sell my house and walk away from a successful career — weren’t easy. But I feel so much happier now, having given it all up.
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