When can it help?
Living abroad can be an incredible experience that brings freedom, adventure, new friendships, opportunities and the excitement of discovering a different way of life.
Living internationally can also be emotionally challenging. This lifestyle may feel lonely despite regularly meeting new people. It may erode the sense of familiarity that we once had at home. Relationships can become harder to maintain across distance. People living internationally may start questioning where they belong, what “home” means to them. Moving to another country also often involves a significant amount of change. If you are living abroad, you may be learning a new language, adapting to unfamiliar social norms, building new relationships and navigating practical challenges, all while trying to maintain connections with the people and places you left behind.
All of the above can cause various emotional challenges:
- Loneliness and isolation. Making friends as an adult in a new country can be difficult. Even when you have colleagues, acquaintances or a busy social life, you may still miss deeper connections and relationships that feel familiar.
- Belonging and identity. Living between cultures can change the way you see yourself. You may feel different from the person you were before moving abroad, while also feeling that you don’t completely belong in your new environment. Over time, questions about identity and belonging can become increasingly important.
- Relationships across distance. Living abroad can place pressure on relationships with partners, family and friends. You may be maintaining relationships across different countries and time zones, navigating long-distance relationships or noticing that friendships have changed while you have been away.
- Culture shock and cultural adjustment. Cultural differences that initially seem interesting can become frustrating when you’re dealing with them every day. You may find yourself questioning your assumptions, your behaviour or even parts of your identity.
- Moving again and again. For some people, international life means repeatedly starting over. New country. New home. New colleagues. New friendships. Each move can bring excitement, but repeated transitions can also become emotionally exhausting.
- When “home” becomes complicated. One of the less visible challenges of expat life is that the meaning of home can change. You may return to your country of origin and realise that things have changed for you. Friends and family may have continued with their lives while yours has taken a different direction. At the same time, you may not feel completely at home in the country where you currently live.You can end up feeling somewhere in between.
Therapy for expats and people living internationally
There isn’t anything unusual about having mixed feelings about life abroad. Two things can be true at the same time: you can love living abroad and still find it difficult.
As an expat myself, I understand some of the particular experiences that can come with living between countries and cultures. I’ve lived in more than 10 countries and have experienced first-hand some of the contradictions of international life: excitement alongside loneliness, freedom alongside isolation and the ongoing question of where “home” really is.
And alhtough that experience informs my work, your experience is your own. Therapy is about creating a space where you can explore your particular experience with its highs and lows.
I offer one-to-one online psychotherapy sessions for adults, making therapy accessible wherever you are based. Online therapy can be particularly helpful for people whose lives don’t fit neatly into one place. It can also provide continuity for people whose work involves relocation, travel or frequent changes of country.
What if I don’t know whether my difficulties are related to being an expat?
That’s completely okay. Your life abroad may be one part of a much bigger picture. We can explore whatever feels relevant rather than assuming that everything is connected to your expat experience.