Living alone in a foreign country
Posted on March 19, 2020 by Sudhanshu Mishra, One of Thousands of Executive Coaches on Noomii.
This article is based on a conversation I had with a friend who has moved to a foreign country to work there. I had a similar experience recently.
A couple of days ago I called an old friend to wish him a happy birthday. I was a little surprised to learn that he has moved to a foreign country a few days ago, all by himself, to give his career another chance. He has been struggling with his career for last few years. He had a great career for 20 years and then the struggles started, like many people I have seen in that age group.
He sounded positive and excited about the new opportunity in a third world country far away from home. But the decision to move away alone without his family wasn’t easy. He is a family man, as good as they come.
I was instantly reminded of my own stint in a foreign country a few years ago where I lived alone by myself for 14 months before moving back to be with my family in India.
While my friend sounded strong and confident about his decision, I couldn’t resist giving him some unsolicited advice and here is what I told him.
I complimented him for the bold move and wished him the best.
In a situation like this there will be difficult times and he would go through periods of frustration, especially when some things don’t go well at work or when he has to deal with idiots around him – these things are bound to happen – he will have to keep his faith and stay strong. Keep in mind the larger purpose that’s taken him there and stay focused.
One of the first things he should do is to have a solid daily routine, including weekends. Without a preplanned routine, even small decisions of daily life can be stressful. And more than anything else look after his health before anything else. Eat healthy, stay active, get enough sleep and take it easy. Stay constantly in touch with the people he loves and visit the family as often as he can without worrying about the costs involved.
If not handled proactively a situation like this can get out of hand for the person’s mental health.
I did say sorry for giving unsolicited advice but his response was very heartening. He said that he felt as though I had read his mind and my message gave him solace and courage. He is still going through the ups and downs of settling in a new country and said that my message resonated with him.
It felt very nice to hear this, and I am quite confident that he will have a happy and successful stint there.
