Expat isolation and how to cope
How to deal with isolation as an expat
When you have to start your life from scratch in a foreign country where you potentially know no-one apart from your partner, where you are not familiar with the customs, where you don’t really know the location or even the neighbourhood, there is a very real danger that you will end up feeling extremely isolated.
This is especially true for accompanying partners because whilst your partner is out at work all day and has focus and motivation from the outset in your new life abroad, you’re the one at home dealing with the isolation and the newness of it all by yourself. And you know what? This can be scary, upsetting and of course, very lonely.
The unfamiliar
When you live somewhere familiar, ie home, there’s a lot you take for granted. Without even being aware of who they are or what role they play in your life the truth is there are so many familiar faces around you: whether it’s the person in the local petrol station or the shop attendants in the supermarket or the guy that walks his dog down your road – you may not know them but they’re familiar faces in a familiar place.
