Are you dreaming of moving abroad for a long time already, but is fear holding you back? In this episode we talk about how to overcome the fear of moving abroad. We share what we were most afraid of before moving and what helped us to take the leap anyway. We discuss how to tell the difference between fear and intuition and we share the moments when we wanted to give up – for which we are now very thankful that we didn’t. Also we talk about what fears disappeared once we moved and what fears stayed with us. Lastly we have some advice for anyone who is scared to leave everything familiar and safe behind.
Enjoy listening and don’t forget to rate the podcast and leave us a review on your favorite podcast platform, like Spotify – it will help more hearts find our little corner of the world.
With love, April Betts & Anna Jirina.
About From Lisbon With Love
Welcome to From Lisbon With Love! A podcast about real stories of love, laughter, and life in Lisbon — from women who have left it all behind. We share real stories about moving to Lisbon, starting over and figuring life out along the way. We talk love, dating, friendships, breakups, healing, growing, all of it. Basically, the stuff we usually talk about over coffee ☕️ or vinho 🍷. If you’re thinking about moving to Lisbon, already here or just love honest conversations with heart: you’re in the right place! Learn more about our story here.
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The fear of moving abroad
We’re not going to lie, moving abroad is scary as f*ck. But it’s important to acknowledge that most of these fears are irrational, because fear is just overthinking. Also, fear of moving abroad is completely normal and it’s nothing to worry about or to be ashamed of. Before moving abroad we also had many fears – we talk all about it in the episode.
Just thinking about moving abroad can maybe already make you anxious and that’s not weird at all. It’s new, it’s big, it’s unfamiliar and your brain is basically just trying to keep you safe. Fear of moving abroad can have to do with financial insecurity, feeling guilty for leaving family and friends, fear of failure or regret or basically just fear of the unknown, bureaucracy and navigating life in a new country.
Even making the decision to move abroad is so big already! In this process you’re going to experience a lot of ‘what if’s’ and ‘should I go, or shouldn’t I go’. But there is a way to overcome your fear of moving abroad! In the episode we share some practical things you can do to make yourself feel safer and more secure in the process and to GO FOR IT! Also we dedicated a full episode on how to make the decision to start over abroad (or not) if you’re still unsure about whether you want to move abroad or not.
The real side of moving abroad that no one sees
However moving abroad is one of the best decisions we have ever made (and we definitely don’t regret it), it’s not always sunshine and glitter. Moving abroad alone also comes with a lot of challenges, like feeling homesick, making new friends and adapting to a new lifestyle and cultural differences. In this episode we share our lowest moments, we talk about struggling with mental health while living abroad alone and how to deal with difficult emotions.
