Coping in strange times #2
My last blog covered some of the basics of coping in these strange times we’re in: looking after ourselves, the importance of touch, imagining the future whilst also remaining fully rooted in the present. This post will offer a few more strategies and thoughts. Gratitude Many people incorporate some sort of gratitude practice into their […]
Coping in strange times
The lock-down continues. How are you coping in these strange and different times? Are you in your host country, unable to go out and work? Or maybe you’ve been repatriated to your home country and are trying to settle without the possibility of “normal” life. Or perhaps you were on leave when lock-down happened and […]
Hope and Covid-19
It’s taken me ages to work out how to start this article. Covid-19 is provoking so much change across the globe. There is much hardship, loss, pain and suffering. And yet I also see HOPE. By writing an article about hope I do not want to be insensitive to those of you who are losing […]
Films and Re-entry
I’m always fascinated when I find films that portray re-entry or relocation in some sort of way. Have you ever watched something then realised that the film-maker has nailed it? They’ve caught one of those moments that takes you right back into your own world. They always make me cry. Goodbyes and hellos in films […]
Time to experiment
Transitions happen at various times in our lives. Relocation, retirement, parenthood, feeling stuck in our career, .. there are many things that lead to transition. And re-entry is one of them. There are loads of tips out there on surviving transition, things like: journalling looking at the big picture dreaming about / imagining what could […]
The honeymoon period
We pretty much all have training when we go abroad these days. You’re taught about the “transition curve” with its three main phases: the initial period of excitement at being somewhere new and different followed by a slump as culture shock hits and then the curve gradually moves back up again as you acculturate and settle in […]
Rose-tinted re-entry glasses
How often during re-entry do you find yourself mulling over the great things about the country you just left? It has to be better than being in your home country and this re-entry lark, right? We all have a tendency to put on rose-tinted glasses when it comes back to thinking about our host country. […]
Expectations
How much disappointment, grief, anger, and negative emotions in general in life are caused by foiled expectations? I think it’s quite a lot. How does that work in re-entry? Without realising it, you return “home” with expectations and assumptions about all sorts of things! Whether you’re already home, or just planning to go home, checking […]
Mindset during re-entry
We’ve talked about several practical aspects of re-entry during the last few posts. We’ve looked at friendships; talking about your time overseas; making your house your home; and rediscovering your home country. Now we’re going to think a little about mindset during re-entry. The attitude you approach your re-entry and its ups and downs with […]
Getting to know your home country
You’ve gone back to your home country. It’s where you lived before, right? So why write an article on getting to know your home country? I think that half the problem with re-entry is exactly that: most people still have the mentality that you’re “just going home.” You probably register that you’ve changed massively while […]
