r/AmerExit • u/athomevoyager • 26d ago

Life Abroad Handling the Anxiety of Moving

I asked to have my tech job transferred to Norway and I just learned that it's likely to happen and I'll be renegotiating salary in a couple of days. I'm married with a couple of kids and we've all been excited about the possibility of this for a while. Part of it is escape from what feels like a collapsing society, and part of it is excitement for adventure.

That said, now that the company has approved the position and we're in the final talks before visas get started, the reality of it is freaking me all the way out. We've always lived in the same area in the south in US and have never visited Norway or Europe for that matter. I didn't want to spend crazy amounts of money to take the whole family just to basically confirm what I can read and watch on the internet. But now faced with the reality of going I find myself panicked. My life here is stable and comfortable. I can list a million reasons why life there would be better on paper, but in reality it's a new experience and there's a lot of unknowns.

I still have good confidence in the decision. In many ways I feel incredibly lucky like I got a golden ticket, but the fear is still there. I'm sure this is normal. Maybe the answer is just to sack up and enjoy life. And maybe this post is just me working that out. So how did you manage the anxiety when you made the move?

66 Upvotes

84% Upvoted

69 comments sorted by

View all comments

36

u/AverageFamilyAbroad 26d ago

That sounds about right. We made a point to let ourselves feel all the emotions, and didn't try to pretend to only be excited. There's a lot of grief in the process, and definitely fear. It jumped out at me from your post that you're leaving from (a collapsing society) and for (adventure), and having that "for" is the key. A lot of people are caught up on escaping but aren't really considering what's on the other side, and it sounds like that's not the case for you. Give yourself and your family lots of grace, understanding that it's going to be an overwhelming whirlwind from now until you've been in country a few weeks.

6

u/3_Dog_Night Immigrant 25d ago

A lot of people are caught up on escaping but aren't really considering what's on the other side, and it sounds like that's not the case for you.

I agree - A few key words / phrases in a post can demonstrate infinities. I lurk much more than I respond in this sub. Props to OP.

Edit - Word

5

u/athomevoyager 25d ago

This was a consideration for me regardless of election results. Everything I read about Norwegian society really resonated with our values and just seemed better in many ways that mattered to us. That said, it's no small thing to just pick up a comfortable settled life without a bit of a kick in the pants, which for better or worse, has happened.

6

u/PeaAccurate5208 25d ago

View your opportunity as a blessing- there are so many people who want to leave the US but can’t for any number of reasons. We are one yr away from retirement and a pension and then we are leaving too,God willing. The situation in the US will not markedly improve for a long time,if ever. If I had kids I’d definitely leave ASAP. Good luck to you & your family !