Starting Again: 5 Gentle Tips for Moving Cities or Moving Abroad
I’ve moved more times than I can count.
I’ve changed towns.
I’ve changed cities.
I’ve changed countries.
From Erasmus in Cádiz…
to two years in Dubai…
to moving back to London.
Each move stretched me in different ways.
Some felt exciting and expansive.
Others felt lonely and unsettling.
Because starting over isn’t just logistics.
It’s emotional.
It’s identity shifting.
It’s learning who you are in a new postcode.
Here are five things that genuinely helped me
1. Join Something. Anything.
If there’s one thing that has consistently changed my experience of a new city, it’s this:
Join a community.
In different seasons of my life, that’s looked like:
- Dance classes
- Run clubs
- HIIT classes
- Yoga studios
And every single time, it’s worked.
You don’t need to be good at it.
You just need to show up consistently.
Familiar faces become conversations.
Conversations become coffee plans.
Coffee plans become friendships.
When you move, you have to build proximity on purpose.
Community doesn’t just happen.
You create it.
2. Accept the Place for What It Is and What It Isn’t
This one took me years to learn.
Every city has strengths.
Every city has limitations.
Dubai wasn’t London.
London isn’t Dubai.
Cádiz wasn’t either of them.
The moment you stop expecting your new home to replicate your old one…
things soften.
Instead of thinking:
“This isn’t like home.”
Try:
“What is this place good at?”
Lean into what it offers instead of resenting what it doesn’t.
Acceptance doesn’t mean you love everything.
It just means you stop fighting reality.
And that changes everything.
3. Give It Time (More Than You Think)
The first six months can feel like a weird in-between space.
You don’t feel like a tourist…
but you don’t feel settled either.
It’s uncomfortable.
But it’s also normal.
I’ve learned not to judge a city too quickly.
The version of a place you experience in month one
is very different from month six.
Routine changes your experience.
Familiarity changes your experience.
Even knowing where your “safe” coffee shop is
changes your experience.
Let it unfold.
4. Create Small Anchors
When everything around you is new, you need something steady.
That might be:
- A Sunday morning walk route
- A favourite gym class
- A weekly call with family
- A solo café ritual
Small anchors make a new place feel less overwhelming.
They give your nervous system something predictable to hold onto.
Especially when you’re building a life from scratch.
5. Remember You’re Allowed to Change
Moving cities doesn’t just change your location.
It changes you.
You grow.
Your priorities shift.
Your friendships evolve.
Your pace might slow down or speed up.
And that’s okay.
Every place I’ve lived has shaped a different version of me.
The student in Cádiz.
The ambitious expat in Dubai.
The woman returning to London with new clarity.
You don’t have to be the same person in every postcode.
Sometimes moving is exactly what helps you become
who you’re meant to be next.
Starting Again Is Brave
It’s uncomfortable and exciting and disorienting all at once.
But if there’s one thing I’ve learned from moving again and again, it’s this:
You can build a life anywhere.
It just takes intention.
If you’re in a “starting over” season…
I’m creating more content around:
- building a life in a new city
- making friends abroad
- slow, intentional living
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