5 tips to make moving home after living abroad suck less, Published on The Cusp, October 2016
Living overseas is the bomb-diggity. New brunch spots, new weekend getaway locations, a ripper Instagram game, and a whole new perspective on the world and the people in it. Is it any wonder that there are around one million Australians currently living in exotic locations overseas? When the time comes for the visa to expire or the pull to move home has grown too strong, it can be a little tricky adapting back to your old life as a new you.
You might be filled with excitement initially, with a new home or job that keeps you busy and a social calendar full of reunions with old friends. But when the buzz wears off and the ink has dried on your new lease, there are those of us who can feel isolated in their old-new home. But the magic isn’t gone, you just need to look at things from a different angle. In lieu of that we put together a list of the top five tips to help with the transition of moving home again after time away:
Break old habits before routine sets in
Living overseas changes you: fact. Travel opens our minds and expands our worldview – how can you not grow? With so many new experiences behind you it can be difficult to find a way of being the new you in the old place when you feel as though you have done and seen it all. Just because you are back where you started doesn’t mean things have to go back to the way they were before you left. In fact, that’d be a bit weird, considering you’ve changed, right?
Avoid falling into boring old habits by making a mental list of the reasons that inspired you to move overseas. Were you looking to eat your way across Vietnam or experience new cultures in Singapore? Or were you seeking a creative lifestyle in New York City? Be specific about what excited you and drove you to try new things. Then think about how you can explore similar possibilities back home.
Make it your mission to find the best phô in Melbourne or hit up as many poetry slam nights you can get your Meetup-mits on. Just because you have moved home doesn’t mean you have to lose the enlightenment and sense of wonder that came from experiencing new things. It was just easier to do overseas, and takes a little planning on home soil.
You will definitely need a new hobby or passion project
One of the best ways to break old habits is to throw yourself into new experiences with abandon. Plus, they say that busy people are happy people, so you won’t have time to spiral downwards in comparison-mode and ponder all the positives of the world you left behind.
Before your start to form the somewhat monotonous routine of the working world and everyday errands, grab hold of the clean slate you’ve got and throw yourself into a new hobby or passion project you’ve always wanted to start but never had the opportunity to do. Approaching the readjustment phase with a sense of adventure will remind you that you still have new horizons to explore.
Take a mini-break
The more you travel the more you realise there’s much to see and you’re more likely to jump on a plane at a moment’s notice. If you find yourself feeling down about moving back home, try to perk yourself up by planning a trip somewhere you’ve never been before.
Where do you want to adventure to next? This shouldn’t be difficult to get excited about but if you’re struggling just roll the globe and see where your finger lands. Once you get planning you will feel the same rush of excitement you undoubtedly felt before you left and it will remind you that new experiences and the rush of travelling are never far away. Plus, once you’ve had some time away you might even find that you look forward to going home again.
Go outside
Being outdoors and getting your eco-therapy fix has an incredible affect on your mental and emotional state. We’ve spoken about it before, because we think it’s pretty important. And if there is something that Australia does well, it’s nature. Standard.
We are lucky enough to have some of the world’s most beautiful natural spots right outside our sandy doorsteps. Jump in the ocean, get some sunshine on your face and stretch your legs on a bush walk. Nothing makes your problems seem further away than being outside and remembering how very small humans are and how big the world is. Pretty sure you’ll start to feel super grateful for the chances you’ve had to explore places overseas and have Australia as a base to come back to.
Allow yourself the time to recalibrate
Reverse culture shock is a thing. It can take a while to readjust. Maybe you’ve changed but everyone else stayed the same, or maybe you were expecting to come back to the sweet comfort of familiarity and everything is different.
Allow yourself the space to fumble through it for a while. If you put unwanted pressure on yourself to settle in quickly, you may only be making it harder for yourself to get re-established rather than taking the time you need to slowly immerse yourself into a new way of life.