Moving to a new country is thrilling, but it can also feel overwhelming

Everything’s new and exciting in the beginning, but new things don’t stop after a week or a month. There are always new challenges coming that you used to know how to resolve and now they seem overwhelming. You can’t find who to ask for help. You don’t feel comfortable asking for help. You don’t want to bother others.

You’re not alone. I’ve been there, 3 times.

Which describes you best?

Integration Process

Moving can shake you to the core. Integrating into the new environment, creating new routines, and finding yourself in the place and a new language can be challanging.

Many things you used to know, are now questionable. How do you find cafes that you like? How do you connect to people? How do you talk to a doctor? How do you join activities that you like? Searching online is the first and simple step, but going to a place where you don’t know anyone, asking people around, or reaching out can feel like a big thing.

It can feel like the world you knew has fallen apart. That people don’t see you in the same way that they used to. That you’re not sure you’re the person you used to think you are. 

Trust the process

The integration into the new environment takes time. It’s a process. It’s like Lego, you have the blocks and pieces and now you’re (re)building your life. The process of building your new life gives you the freedom to do things differently than before. Sometimes it will force you to do things differently because the local habits are different, or because your situation is different. All these situations are challenges but also opportunities to learn something new. When encountering difficulties and figuring out how things work here, it’s important to trust the process. The integration process takes time and things work out at the end. 

Trust yourself

Additionally, it takes courage to do what you’re doing. You might feel insecure about doing things you used to do easily. Previously easy actions now might feel big and heavy. For example, scheduling an appointment used to take a few minutes and now you could be preparing for it for hours, or even days. 

What is expat coaching?

Coaching is a journey of reflection, discovery, and self-awareness combined with action, motivation, and goal orientation where required. It’s a conversation where you have the permission to talk, dream big, complain, and make comments about your life, to achieve bigger and better things. You can choose the topic(s) and go as deep with your thoughts as you want. As a coach I’m here, actively listening and helping you in discovering, developing, and trialing your own solutions, helped by focused, challenging questioning, as well as objective, observation-based feedback on the part of the coach.

Transformational coaching is the process of partnering with someone to accompany you through a significant change. The underlying assumption is that you will examine everything that could be in service of that transformation. Transformational coaching is about ‘being different’, welcoming the ‘being’, and inviting the ‘difference’. It’s about swimming below the surface, getting to the essence, and creating a positive emotional connection to the change, process, and results. 

Migration, integration, moving, living abroad, or being a digital nomad is a time of significant change in a person’s life. (Almost) Everything is different and you have to figure out how to handle differences all while enjoying ‘being’ and ‘being different’.

Let’s Talk

Schedule a 30-minute free discovery call and let’s make your journey easy.