Being an expat mum is no piece of cake. Many mums living abroad feel lonely and unsettled. They feel lonely because most of their friendships are distant which can make things harder. Also, building healthy friendships as an expat mum can be challenging. While diversity is great, it can make you feel hesitant to make new friends.
How to Make Healthy Friendships as an Expat Mum?
To make things easier for you as an expat mum. We got 5 tips for you to make healthy friendships when living abroad.
1| Meet other fellow mums.
First of all, we suggest you participate socially in your kids’ school. School community is wonderful for expat mums to make friends. Plan a coffee date with other mums in your kids’ school. Trust us, no matter how different your cultural backgrounds are. You will find yourself sharing many things in common with them. After all, no matter where we come from, parenting challenges are almost the same for us all. You can also take this a step forward and plan playdates for your kids. This way you establish good social relationships for both you and your kids.
2| Join a reading club.
Reading is a great intellectual exercise for us mums. And finding other ladies who share with us will benefit our intellectual skills greatly. Because you will be conversing with highly intellectual and sophisticated ladies. That is why we recommend educational clubs for mum.
3| Get yourself a second family.
Living away from your family and friends can exhaust and drain you emotionally. That is why expat mums need each other, to make things less hard and less lonely. You might be surprised, and those new friends can be closer than you ever imagined. Therefore, do not hesitate or be shy. But be optimistic and outgoing to get yourself new close friends.
4| Stop comparisons.
We all love our old friends from high school or college. But they are not the same as your new expat friends. Therefore, do not compare them to each other. You are a different person in a new place, so you need a new positive attitude towards making friends.
5| Do not waste time.
Making friends can be challenging. But do not make friends with the wrong people just for the sake of having friends. That will not be good for you in the long run. Do not waste your time with people that you feel uncomfortable around. Also, why strike up a friendship with someone you have nothing in common with? It will just waste your time and bring you down. Make sure to surround yourself with good people to ease your life as an expat mum.
