Moving back to home country; juggling lots of changes at once

I have been living abroad for two years and am moving back to my home country next week. In addition to this, I just started a new homebased job this week, and the job is quite demanding, and two days after I return to my home country next week, I am going to another country to work remotely for one week.
I am feeling quite anxious and overwhelmed by so much going on in a short space of time. Moving is a lot of organization, which I’m finding mentally and physically tiring, and I’m also feeling sad about saying goodbye to friends and to my neighbourhood.
When I get to my home country I am moving into temporary accommodation and from there I will search for a new flat. I am also feeling anxious about the flat searching. I am feeling apprehensive about starting my new life and getting settled, even though I’ve been looking forward to moving home for a long time and feel it’s definitely the right decision for me.
What I want is to have some headspace and downtime among the preparations, which I am making some time for, but I’m finding it difficult to switch off the anxiety. Any help would be much appreciated! Thank you.

 

 

Answer:

First, deep breaths. Do what you need to do to calm your nervous system. You are totally going to manage all of this. It’s so understandable that you are anxious and overwhelmed. You are looking at a lot of unknowns and the brain hates unknowns so it freaks out. Thank your brain for trying to protect you and stop listening to all the worry thoughts it is offering you.

To get out of overwhelm, it helps to stay present. What is the most necessary next step to get ready to move? Decide what that is and find a way to get it done. Brainstorm ideas to get the result you want. Can you bring in help from your friends? Can you hire out some tasks? Can you allow yourself to pack in an unorganized way? Perhaps you just leave everything behind except a few essentials. There are so many options.

What would you need to think about yourself to create a feeling that will drive that kind of action? It’s easy to look at everything outside of you and focus on your circumstances, but the real power comes from knowing you will get this done no matter what and you will take care of yourself in the process. Grabbing a feeling you like will make it easier. We’re right here to support you! Good Luck.