Leave The Comfort Zone
Without wanting to sound too New Age, sometimes you have to take yourself out of your comfort zone to find out who you are. When you stay with what you know you become complacent, set in you ways and age faster. So moving to Spain is an opportunity to have an adventure and explore yourself. Although, some people decide to go back, people feel that living in Spain has enabled them to discover sides to their character that they wouldn’t have otherwise been aware of. And for those who feel at all disappointed that they have gone back to the UK, this is a positive way of looking at it.
Different Types Of Friends
In the UK much of our identity is derived from where we live, where we work, our role within our friendships groups and families. By taking yourself away from the familiarity of your home country, friends and families you can really get in touch with who you are away from it all. You have to make new friends. Maybe you find that you are drawn to different types of people. Living in Spain might make your more open to the types of people that you wouldn’t have imagined as friends before. It is a great opportunity to meet so many new and interesting people. You rarely get such opportunities in UK life.
Your Desires And Needs
Taking yourself away from the things that you take for granted gives you the chance to work out what you want and need in life. Being away from your family and friends encourages you to live your life in your own way not how is expected by others. Your desires and wants may change. In the UK you may have been striving for a big house and the best car that you can afford or more likely not afford. In Spain you might discover that it is not necessary and you opt for a modest apartment and more basic car. Even if you do return to the UK, you may take your new priorities back with you.
Your Values May Change
Your values in terms of what quality of life means to you may alter. Being exposed to a different culture and different ways of living may help you to decide what makes a good quality of life. You may discover that Spain and other holiday destinations are fine for just that holidays and that real life suits you better in the UK.
Getting To Know Your Character
The whole relocating experience can have a big impact on you so challenges will demand on your resourcefulness to cope. You never had to think about these things in the UK where everything was common knowledge and second nature to you. Form filling and bureaucracy might put you off as you try to work out the system. You might find out that you are the kind of person who can’t survive in a foreign country without learning the language so you either dedicate yourself to learning or return to the UK. The slower paced life and less need to get things done quickly may suit your character and whereas it didn’t “fit” life in the UK you blend in perfectly in Spain. It can affect you in different ways and the way that you react to the experience will depend on your character. The thing is you don’t know about these elements of your character until you put them to the test.
Bored With Life?
If you are feeling a bit bored and unsettled with life in the UK and fancy trying something different, a move to Spain might be what you need. You can gain so much along the way and if you do decide to go back, you can return with a fresher outlook and more wisdom. It might also make you more appreciative of what you have.
Written by
Susan Pedalino
Women in Spain blog