In my last post I wrote about the importance of clarifying your values in living a meaningful life. However, what if you’re already living your values yet still feel totally drained at the end of the day? Perhaps in your life abroad you value adventure, independence and entrepreneurship, and are living these out daily. Yet something still feels off. You’re overwhelmed, emotionally and mentally exhausted, and running on empty.
The Power of Working With Your Strengths
Another aspect of living a life of meaning is knowing yourself and the strengths that come naturally to you. Working with your strengths often brings energy and ease. You’re in a state of flow. When you spend most of your time operating outside of your innate strengths, even if you’re competent, it can leave you feeling depleted and disconnected from yourself.
Try reflecting on moments when you feel most alive or deeply engaged. What were you doing? Who were you with? Those moments often reveal your natural strengths and what energises you.
Understanding Your Personality Style
Your personality also shapes the way you gain and use energy. Introverts often recharge through quiet time, while extroverts feel restored through connection and activity. If you’re more reflective by nature but constantly surrounded by stimulation and social demands, you may find yourself running out of energy quickly. On the other hand, if you thrive on people and ideas but spend most of your days alone, you might feel flat or unmotivated.
Understanding your natural tendencies helps you design a lifestyle that sustains you. This might mean protecting time alone to process and unwind, or intentionally seeking out community and conversation if you’ve been isolated. Living abroad can amplify these mismatches, so being mindful of how your environment interacts with your personality is key.
Managing the Invisible Energy Costs of Life Abroad
Living in a foreign country requires constant adaptation. Every small decision, from navigating a new system to communicating in a second language draws, on your energy reserves. Over time, this background effort can create fatigue even when life feels good on the surface.
Grounding routines help replenish what’s used up. Morning rituals, time in nature, regular movement, and familiar comforts all help your nervous system feel settled and safe. Energy flows more freely when you have anchors that remind your body and mind that you belong, even far from home.
Reconnecting Body and Mind
Energy isn’t only physical. Emotional strain, stress, and ongoing adaptation can weigh heavily on your body. Moving your body through walking, stretching, or gentle exercise helps release that built-up tension. So does reconnecting with simple sensory experiences: the smell of your morning coffee, the warmth of sunlight, or the sound of a familiar language. These moments of presence bring your attention back to the here and now, where energy begins to regenerate.
Let Go of the Pressure to Be “On”
It’s easy to believe that living your dream life abroad should always feel energising. But even a fulfilling life can be tiring. Energy naturally ebbs and flows. Allowing yourself to rest without guilt is an act of self-respect, not weakness. Sometimes the most energising thing you can do is slow down and give yourself permission to simply be.
How Counselling Can Help
If you’ve been feeling drained despite living a meaningful life, it might not mean you’re on the wrong path, it may simply be a sign that you need to try something different. Understanding your strengths, personality, and energy rhythms helps you create a daily life that feels more balanced and sustainable.
If you’d like support in exploring how to realign your energy, I work with individuals navigating life abroad to reconnect with their sense of purpose and vitality. Together we can look at what nourishes you, what drains you, and how to design a life that feels more energised and grounded.