fend for oneself
Survive without help
To fend for oneself is to manage without help from others—to take care of your own needs independently.
The phrase often appears when someone is left to cope alone: Her parents traveled constantly, leaving her to fend for herself from a young age.
It implies self-reliance, sometimes forced by circumstance.
self-reliance
Freedom from external control
- survivalRemaining alive against odds
- resourcefulnessAbility to solve problems creatively
- autonomyIndependent decision-making capacity
- resilienceCapacity to recover quickly
adaptability · ingenuity · capability · competence · empowerment · agency · bootstrapping · scrappiness
independence
Freedom from external control
- survivalRemaining alive against odds
- resourcefulnessAbility to solve problems creatively
- autonomyIndependent decision-making capacity
resilience · adaptability · ingenuity · capability · competence · empowerment · agency · bootstrapping · scrappiness · hustle