In this episode we talk about how to know when it’s time to move abroad (again) or stay where you are – and how to make the right decision. We share the specific moment when we first felt that something needed to change and how we knew we outgrew the place we lived before starting over in Lisbon, Portugal. Also we discuss if there’s such a thing as ‘the right time to move’ or if this is just something you tell yourself to avoid making the decision, because you’re scared. Lastly we share how moving to Lisbon supported our personal growth journey and we have some advice for anyone who’s thinking of moving (abroad).
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.
Moving (again) versus staying: how do you know?
In this episode we discuss how you know when it’s time for a change. The thing is: Deep down you’ll know the answer, especially if you have a strong inner compass. But it can be extremely hard to follow your intuition, particularly when logic and rational thoughts take over. In the episode we share how we knew when it was time to take the leap and move to Portugal.
Starting over: Why it is so scary
It’s normal to feel scared when thinking about starting over. Even in the process of doing so, starting over can be very daunting, especially when you choose to move abroad. Although a part of you knows and feels it is the right decision, you’re brain will automatically try to keep you comfortable and make you avoid the unknown. It can be challenging to push through but in the end it is definitely worth it, because you will grow so much as a person – something we also talk about in this episode.
Something that can really help is the thought that you can always go back, but that you owe it to yourself to give it a shot. If you never try, you’ll never know and you’ll might regret not experiencing what’s on the other side. Yes, starting over is scary as f*ck, but it also teaches you a lot about yourself. It will help you build resilience, confidence and you’ll most likely discover new sides of yourselves you never knew about. After all you’ll realize it wasn’t that scary as you thought, which makes starting over another time (if you need or want to) a lot easier.
Starting over abroad: Why we did it
Starting over abroad is like jumping off a cliff, hoping someone would catch you. Although it was one of the scariest things we ever did, we never regret it for a second. We felt the urge to make a change for a long time already, so it was finally time to acknowledge it – as we discuss in the episode. However, moving abroad was a slow process for the both of us, because we wanted and needed to do a lot of research before. Curious to the full story about why we moved to Lisbon? In this episode we share why we chose Lisbon and in this episode we tell you in detail what we needed to arrange (as a EU- and US-citizen) in order to move to Portugal.
