Your confidence can take a hit when you transition from one posting to another – leaving behind friends, maybe family, possibly a professional career. If you’re relocating to Europe, chances are you’re entering a land where the language – and even simple things like groceries and recycling! – can be a mystery.
As you adjust to your new environment, here are two strategies that can help you rebuild your confidence:
Be gentle with yourself. Beating yourself up for the fact that you’re not feeling as confident as you once did just makes things worse! If you can accept that it might take some time to adjust to your new environment, and try to make progress in baby steps, you can celebrate any and all successes.
Do something to make you feel like you. Sometimes part of the military move is losing a part of the identify we had in our last posting. It’s important to do something to remind yourself of who you are: your skills and strengths, your values; what brings you joy, what gives you peace. The thing that makes you feel like you will differ from person to person, but I encourage everyone to figure out what that is, and pursue it – even in baby steps.