Inner World & HealingReflections
Reflections on healing, neurodivergence, womanhood and the quiet courage of growing. Pick a theme, or wander through everything.
Inner World & Healing
Life NotesOne Year of Writing, and What Comes Next
One year of writing With Elli. Why I am letting go of a weekly schedule and choosing to write only when a reflection is truly ready instead of on demand.
Inner World & HealingWhy Do People Hurt Animals?
Why do people hurt animals? I try to understand the psychology of cruelty, empathy, moral disengagement, and where this need to harm really comes from.
Self-ReflectionThe Spark That Started Everything
One video about AuDHD in high-masking women changed everything for me. The childhood signs I finally recognised, and what self-recognition felt like.
Relationships & EmpathyThe Friend I Still Miss And Why I Always Will
I still miss my childhood best friend years after we drifted apart. Why do we grieve lost friendships, and is it healthy to carry that quiet missing?
Life NotesDissecting Evil
What is evil, really? I look at the banality of evil, how genocide unfolds in stages, and why we keep repeating the darkest patterns of our history.
Life NotesWhy Do We Need Validation So Much?
Why do we need validation so much? After feeling like a fraud at work, I explored the psychology of seeking approval and where that deep need comes from.
Women’s Health & WellnessA Letter to My Mother
A letter to my mother this Mother's Day, thank you for your boundless love, for working two jobs to raise us, and for teaching me to believe in myself.
Life NotesLoving Someone with AuDHD: What Support Actually Looks Like
Loving someone with AuDHD taught me that support is not one size fits all, from communication and unmasking to simply learning to show up differently.
Inner World & HealingWhen Pain Becomes Too Much: Understanding Suicide and How to Help
Suicide is hard to talk about, but if you are worried about someone you love or struggling yourself, here is how to understand the pain and offer help.
Easter ReflectionSpring Awakening
How the ancient Greeks found meaning in spring: the equinox, Persephone's return, and Orphism's idea that light and life always come back after the dark.
Easter ReflectionGreek Easter Traditions: The Magic of Pascha
A warm walk through Greek Orthodox Easter: the midnight Anastasi, candlelight, red eggs, magiritsa, and the day-long feast that holds families together.
Easter ReflectionThe Traditions That Hold Us Together: What We Lose When We Stop Celebrating
Why do we miss traditions even after leaving religion? On the community and belonging we lose when we stop celebrating, and how to build new ones together.
Creativity & ExpressionStarting Over & Finding Your Passion
How do you start over when your past feels heavy? On leaving what no longer fits, rediscovering what I love, and slowly learning to believe in myself again.
Inner World & HealingWhen “Fast Learner” Feels Like Pressure Instead of Support
Being called a fast learner sounded like praise, but it felt like pressure. A reflection on the weight of potential and learning without emotional support.
Life NotesWhen My Emotions Create a World That Isn't Fully Real
When a trigger hits, my emotions can paint a picture that is not quite reality. Here is how I pause, set boundaries, and respond instead of reacting.
Women's Health & WellnessHow Do I Feel as a Woman?
What it really feels like to be a woman when culture, labels, and expectations weigh on you. Thoughts on gender roles, period stigma, and being yourself.
Life NotesBirthdays: The Day That Brings Me Back
Birthdays stir up old sadness for me, the questions about worth, the feeling that it is too late. Here is what helps when those difficult emotions return.
Ideas & MeaningRoutine, Closure & Flow in AuDHD: Finding Balance Between Structure and Freedom
Living with AuDHD means craving routine and closure while also needing novelty. Here are gentle strategies for building structure without losing your freedom.
Creativity & ExpressionLearning to Stand Alone
For years I was scared to be alone and depended on others to feel whole. This is how therapy helped me learn to stand on my own and finally like myself.
Inner World & HealingTrauma and Healing
What trauma really means, how it differs from everyday stress, and how healing begins, gently returning to safety, connection, and trusting yourself again.
Inner World & HealingBe the Parent to Your Inner Child
Learning to be the parent to your inner child means giving yourself the safety and kindness you once needed. Here is how I am healing that inner voice.
Women's Health & WellnessUnderstanding PMS: My Honest Journey into Something I Never Really Understood
At 32, I realized I never truly understood PMS. Here's my honest journey into what PMS is, why it happens, how it feels, and how PMDD differs from it.
Life NotesWhy Friends Matter
Friends help us carry the weight of life. Here's why friendships matter, why talking about our problems heals us, and what the research says about connection.
Inner World & HealingStress, Burnout, Trauma & Neurodivergence: Walking Together Through the Weight
When stress never lifts, it reshapes us. I explore how chronic stress, trauma, and burnout affect ADHD, autism, and AuDHD, and the gentle paths to recovery.
Life NotesMasking in Autism: The Hidden Exhaustion of Everyday Communication
What is autistic masking? Hiding stims, forcing eye contact, and pretending to be okay all day is exhausting. Here's what masking feels like, and what helps.
Christmas ReflectionsA New Year, With Us
Wishing you a happy new year, with us. A warm greeting from With Elli as we step into the year ahead together, carrying hope, love, and fresh beginnings.
Christmas ReflectionsHappy Holidays from With Elli!
Warm Christmas and holiday wishes from me to you. A little greeting card from With Elli, sending you love, light, and comfort this festive season.
Christmas ReflectionsChristmas Connections: Love, Family & Togetherness
At Christmas, what warms us most is connection. Here are gentle ways to stay close to family and friends, Greek holiday traditions, letters, games, and books.
Christmas ReflectionsThe Magic of Winter: Solstice, Christmas & Greek Traditions
December's magic runs deep. I explore the winter solstice, the ancient roots of Christmas traditions, and the Greek customs that light up the darkest nights.
Christmas ReflectionsFinding Light in the Darkest Month
Christmas can stir sadness alongside joy. I explore why the holidays feel heavy, the melancholy behind them, and how to make your own gentle winter sanctuary.
Neurodivergent LifeWhy Socializing Can Be Exhausting for Autistic People and How We Can Be More Understanding
Ever feel completely drained after socializing? For many autistic people it's daily. Here's why social situations exhaust us, and how to be more understanding.
Inner World & HealingLiving with Intensity: Understanding Emotional Extremes in BPD
I relate to many BPD traits, and my emotions often feel turned up to maximum. Here's why feelings run so extreme in BPD, what the brain does, and what helps.
Neurodivergent LifeWhat Is Autism?
I'm not autistic, but I wanted to truly understand it. Here's what autism really is, what the spectrum means, and the everyday traits behind it.
Inner World & HealingLiving and Learning About ADHD: A Neurotypical Perspective
A neurotypical perspective on understanding and supporting people with ADHD, what I have learned about focus, time, rejection sensitivity, and real empathy.
Inner World & HealingLiving with BPD Traits: My Story & Understanding the Full Picture
My honest story of living with BPD traits, from fear of abandonment to emotional intensity, plus an understanding look at what people with BPD experience.
Inner World & HealingLiving on the Edge
What it is really like to live with borderline (BPD) traits, fear of abandonment, emotional intensity, and how I am learning that love does not have to hurt.
Inner World & HealingThe Room Inside: Meeting My Younger Self with Compassion
A gentle guide to inner child work and co-regulation, how we learn to soothe our emotions, meet our younger self with compassion, and heal old wounds.
Neurodivergent LifeHow I First Met Neurodiversity
How I first came to understand neurodiversity, not through textbooks but through volunteering with autistic, blind, and neurodivergent people in Greece.
Ideas & MeaningExploring Esotericism, Mystical Traditions & the Search for Meaning
A curious, open-minded tour of esoteric and mystical traditions, from Kabbalah and Sufism to Hermeticism, and my personal search for meaning and comfort.
Life NotesSay Goodbye to Someone I Love
Saying goodbye to Hades, our beloved family dog. A tender reflection on pet loss, grief, and holding on to the joy a dog brings into our lives.
Inner World & HealingFamily: A Place to Breathe or a Cage to Escape?
When family feels more like a cage than a home. My reflections on toxic family dynamics, rejection, and choosing to walk away to protect your own peace.
Life NotesWhy Is It So Hard to Treat Ourselves Kindly?
Why is self-kindness so hard? I explore how low self-worth, perfectionism, trauma, and ADHD make it difficult to rest or reward ourselves, and what helps.
Ideas & Meaning"A Safe Space in the Sun
A gentle look at how long-term drug use affects the brain and body, why a safe space matters for healing, and whether the brain can recover over time.
Life NotesFor the days that feel heavy
Some days you just can't function. Here is my gentle, step by step self-care plan for getting through the heavy days when everything feels like too much.
Inner World & HealingI Didn't Grow Up I Grew Old
After years of healing I felt like I grew old, not up. Here is how I am gently rediscovering the parts of myself I lost, and learning to feel alive again.
Inner World & HealingForgiveness: A Path to Healing, Not a Shortcut
What forgiveness really means, and what it doesn't. A gentle look at toxic forgiveness, forgiving without reconciling, and healing at your own pace.
Ideas & MeaningThe Hymen & Virginity: Debunking Common Myths
The truth about the hymen and virginity. Debunking common myths, why a hymen can't prove virginity, and letting go of the shame around your body.
Life NotesA Nice Story On Fear, Solitude & The Sea
On the fear of being alone and stepping outside by myself. A tender look at where that fear began, meeting my inner child, and one soft step.
Life NotesAm I Ready to Be a Dog's Guardian?
How do you know if you're ready to adopt a dog? A heartfelt look at responsibility, being a guardian not an owner, and what to do if you're not.
Creativity & ExpressionA New Chapter: With Elli Is Now on Social Media
With Elli is now on social media. A heartfelt note about stepping mindfully into these new spaces and where to find all my links to connect.
Life NotesThe Mirror Stage
Tired of everyone's expectations, I turned inward. A guide to knowing yourself through self-inquiry, inner work, and gentle personal growth.
Inner World & HealingWhy Do I Freeze When I Try to Start My Life?
Why do I freeze and panic every time I try to move my life forward? A gentle look at the fear of change and how to take one small step at a time.
Life NotesWhen Home Is Far Away: Homesickness, Depression, and the Longing That Doesn't Go Away
Homesickness after moving abroad can feel unbearable, especially with depression. I share the longing for home and gentle ways I hold that ache.
Inner World & HealingGrieving the Parent You Never Had: When the Real and the Imaginary Don't Meet
Mourning the parent you needed but never had is real grief. I explore this quiet loss, the imaginary parent we create, and reparenting yourself.
Inner World & HealingWhy I Go to Therapy
Does therapy really help? I share my honest story, why I keep going even when it feels tiring, and what research says about why therapy works.
Ideas & MeaningDancing with the Sun
A gentle Summer Solstice reflection on light, ancient rituals, and finding your inner glow. What is blooming in you as the longest day arrives?
Relationships & EmpathyLove and Relationships Today
Why does love feel so confusing today? I explore dating apps, mixed signals, and how we might find real connection again beyond the performance.
Relationships & EmpathyThe Day I Forgot How to Make Friends
I quit social media and found peace, but also forgot how to make friends. On loneliness, social anxiety, and relearning connection in a new country.
Ideas & MeaningGreek Geomythology: Ancient Stories Written in Stone
Greek geomythology explores how ancient myths may hide real geology: Atlantis and the Santorini eruption, Typhon under Mount Etna, and the vapors of Delphi.
Ideas & MeaningUnderstanding Attachment Theory: Why Our Early Bonds Matter
A warm guide to attachment theory: how early bonds shape adult love, the four attachment styles, and whether an anxious or avoidant style can really change.
Inner World & HealingWhen Small Mistakes Feel Like Big Threats
When a tiny mistake sends me into shame and panic, it's my nervous system remembering old danger. On perfectionism, the fawn and freeze response, and healing.
Inner World & HealingLiving with Quiet Sadness
For years I lived with a quiet, foggy sadness I couldn't name. It was dysthymia, mild chronic depression. Here's what it felt like and what slowly helped.
Inner World & HealingWhy Do Some Tasks Feel So Overwhelming?
Why do simple tasks like a phone call or an email feel so overwhelming? It's not laziness. Here's what I learned about pressure, and how body doubling helps.
Inner World & HealingLearning to Welcome My Anger
For years my anger went underground into tension, fear, and overthinking. This is how I learned to recognize suppressed anger and finally welcome it.
Life NotesThings That Only Make Sense in the Netherlands
From biking in any weather to chocolate sprinkles for breakfast, here are 17 quirky Dutch customs that surprised me after moving to the Netherlands.
Inner World & HealingLost Days": When the Sadness Takes Over
Once a month I lose a whole day to a heavy fog of sadness. Here's what these depression shutdowns are, why they happen, and how I show myself kindness.
Relationships & EmpathySHAAG: A Youth-Led Journey in Sexual Health Awareness Across Genders
The story of SHAAG, a youth-led project we started in Thessaloniki for open, stigma-free conversations about sexual health, gender, and relationships.
Creativity & ExpressionFrom Greece to the Netherlands: My Journey of Creativity, Care, and Curiosity
I'm Elli, and this is my story of moving from Greece to the Netherlands, working through anxiety, and starting With Elli, a warm space for creativity and care.
Creativity & Expression