Feeling At Home: Plan For (Personal) Growth

Posted on 21. Aug, 2009 by Emmanuelle Archer in Blog, Expat Life, Relocation
1 comment

So you’ve relocated to a new country, and you have settled in your new home. You’re finally seeing the end of all the paperwork you had to deal with, and you’ve started your new job.

Now what?

The post-relocation slump

After the initial rush of activity, you may find yourself in a bit of a slump. The pace slows down, you settle into your daily routine… and not much seems to be happening anymore.

This is when loneliness, isolation and homesickness usually set in.

Is there any way to avoid, or at least shorten, this not-so-fun stage in the life of an expat?

The most powerful way I have found to keep the post-relocation slump at bay is to plan for personal growth: new goals, new friends, and new horizons.

Keep your eyes on the prize

What brought you to your new host country? What do you hope to achieve here?

Did you relocate to step into your dream job, to take advantage of new opportunities, or to enjoy the culture and the lifestyle? Beyond that #1 goal, what other objectives do you want to set for yourself in this new country?

Having clear, concrete goals is a great first step, but it’s not enough.

You also have to keep going after your goals. This may sound pretty obvious, but it is incredibly easy to get bogged down in all the busy-ness of living abroad and end up sidetracked.

If you’re having a hard time coming up with good, energizing goals, you may want to download a free copy of Wishcraft by Barbara Sher, and work your way through the exercises. Yes, the webpage looks a bit tacky, but that book will get you out of a slump faster than you can think!

Welcome friendships into your life

Note that I’m not saying, “Go out and make friends!” That’s the kind of simplistic advice that you get in many self-help-style expat book… if only it were that easy!

I guess my question is, “Have you made room in your life for new friends?”

Have you made your new home welcoming for company? Are you making it easy for people to befriend you, by being open and approachable? Are you creating frequent opportunities to meet people?

As an aside, when you are actively pursuing your goals, you will naturally attract potential friends – people are drawn to those who have a vision, focused energy and a zest for life!

Go on an adventure

Remember all the possibilities you saw when you first decided to relocate? Moving to Germany meant that you could go spend the weekend in any European city you fancied seeing. A 2-year mission in Bangkok? The perfect opportunity to take Thai cooking classes! Relocating to Western Canada? You were going to drive all the way up to the Yukon, following the Gold Rush trail.

So, what are you waiting for? A brand new world is at your doorstep. Go on an adventure!

You adventure doesn’t have to be big, costly or take you to remote places. When you took your walking tour, what neighbourhoods or shops or interesting-looking activities did you spot? What did you make a mental note to revisit?

The idea is to try something new, to experiment, play and stretch yourself a little. Just because you have settled into your new life doesn’t mean you’ve hit a plateau. Quite the opposite. It’s like re-potting a plant – now your roots can spread and a new growth spurt can take place.

Have fun! There’s no time like now to be curious and explore.

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Emmanuelle

Images by Bellah (top) and sea legs snapshot (bottom), both via Flickr Creative Commons