Expatriate Loneliness: 7 Strategies to Feel Less Alone and More Connected

Living abroad can be amazing. But it can also be lonely—and nobody talks about that.

In this article, I want to show you 7 strategies that can help you deal with this loneliness

Moving to another country is often sold as a great achievement: new opportunities, languages, cultures, personal growth. But the truth is that, behind the happy photos and milestones reached, there’s a silent pain that many expatriates carry: loneliness.

It doesn’t appear all at once. Sometimes it comes as a mild homesickness, other times as an emptiness difficult to name. And it doesn’t mean something is wrong with you—it just means you’re human, experiencing a major transition.

Often, expatriates are surrounded by people at work or social events, but still feel disconnected, as if an essential part of them was left in their home country. This disconnection is made worse by cultural differences in how people communicate and interact, which makes it even more challenging to make new friends and build relationships of trust.

In this article, I want to show you 7 strategies that can help you deal with this loneliness and, most importantly, feel more like you belong in the place where you chose (or needed) to live.

1. Name What You Feel—and Allow Yourself to Feel It

There are days when we just want to pretend everything is fine. But pretending doesn’t solve anything. Feeling alone isn’t a sign of failure. It’s a natural response to being far from home, far from your native language, far from those who have known you forever.

Start by acknowledging what’s happening inside you, without judging yourself. It might help to write about what you feel, talk to someone who has gone through something similar, or simply take some time to reflect on your emotions.

Remember that adaptation is a process, not a final destination, and emotional ups and downs are expected. By validating your internal experience, you create a solid foundation to actively seek strategies that help build new connections and find a sense of belonging in the new environment.

This acceptance doesn’t mean resigning yourself to loneliness, but rather facing it head-on as a challenge that can be overcome with the right tools and support.

2. Create a Meaningful Routine (Even if Simple)

Having a routine helps you ground yourself. And it doesn’t have to be elaborate. It could be starting the day with coffee at the same place, walking in the park twice a week, taking a class in something that interests you.

The more you engage with life around you—even in small habits—the more you’ll feel part of something. Look for activities that combine pleasure and social interaction: language courses, reading groups, yoga, cooking classes, clubs for people from your country, local dance classes…

The important thing is to get your body and heart moving.

3. Use Technology—But with Balance

The internet is a gift: it connects us with those we love, even from afar. But if you spend more time on calls with your home country than living in your new country, something is lost.

Maintain your old bonds, of course. But create space for the new as well. Join local groups (Facebook, Meetup, Bumble BFF), look for expatriate events, connect with people who are going through something similar. Technology can open doors—as long as it doesn’t become an escape from the present.

4. Keep Your Culture Alive

Feeling a sense of belonging in a new country doesn't have to mean giving up who you are. On the contrary — keeping your culture alive can be a bridge between past and present, between longing and presence.

Allow yourself to maintain habits that connect you with your identity: cook traditional dishes from your childhood, listen to music in your native language, celebrate important cultural holidays, or simply gather with others who speak the same language.

Taking part in cultural events, Brazilian groups, or immigrant communities can be a powerful way to strengthen your sense of identity and belonging. When you preserve these roots, you feel more whole — and stronger to embrace the new.

5.  Learn the Local Language (Even if Gradually)

Even if everyone speaks English, learning the language of the place where you live transforms everything. Not just because it makes daily life easier, but because it brings you closer to the people, the culture, the city.

Learning to say “good morning” at the market or order your favorite dish in the local language might seem small, but it’s huge. It shows that you’re allowing yourself to be there. And the more you open yourself to the culture that welcomes you, the more it welcomes you back.

6. Start Small: A Conversation, an Invitation, a Coffee

Making friends in adult life is already challenging. In a new country, with a different language and customs, even more so. But it doesn’t have to be all at once.

Instead of thinking about “making friends,” think about taking small steps. Going to a local event. Inviting a colleague for coffee. Exchanging a few words with the bakery attendant. That’s how it begins. And, little by little, the feeling of anonymity gives way to small belongings.

7. If Needed, Seek Professional Help

Sometimes loneliness tightens in a way that none of these strategies can handle. And that’s okay. This isn’t weakness—it’s the courage to recognize that you need support.

Therapy can be a powerful space to process this pain, understand your emotional cycles, and regain your center. And with someone who understands what it’s like to live between worlds, like I do in my own personal experience, this listening becomes even more empathetic and caring.

Your Life Didn’t Stay Behind—It’s Rebuilding Now

You don’t need to “get used to” living feeling lonely. There is another way. There is a place for you, even far from your country. Connection is possible, even if it seems distant now.

Every step counts. Every gesture of care, every conversation initiated, every attempt to belong is a seed for the future.

💬 Want to Talk About This?

As someone who lived years away from my country, I know firsthand the emotional challenges of expatriate life.I work with people who live outside their countries and feel the emotional impact of migration.

I offer psychotherapy in Portuguese or English, online or in-person, with specialized and sensitive listening.

📅 Schedule a session here and start rebuilding your connections from the inside out.