Hi everyone, I’m a french man of 31 years old going through a pretty intense depression after spending much of my 20s on the road. I am now in australia in a beautiful coastal town where life is sweet and people are incredibly nice. Thing is: I have been awfully depressed for the last year. I’ve seen most of my friends settling down, establishing themselves in France or australia long term through intense efforts to obtain their permanent residency getting married etc. I always saw myself living abroad, but never made so much effort to settle down anywhere. I’ve only worked in hospitality in the various countries I visited after obtaining my master’s degree in business (which I feel now is what people do when they don’t know what to do for a living). I consider myself open minded, speak three languages fluently, but I always had trouble with anxiety and self confidence. Now that I feel my travel life to be over, I am wondering what to do next. I feel like moving back home with my parents and look for a job somewhere in Barcelona or Toulouse where my family is. But I’m afraid my resume will make me unemployable anywhere. I’m also scared about my financial situation and my capacity to readapt to Europe after living in countries where life was so much easier. I feel like I just need a bit of shared experiences or encouragement. Anyway, it’s good to let it out.
I lived abroad for a few years and when i would return home nobody gave a fuck. Nobody wanted to hear my travel stories and it seemed everyone just moved on. I returned abroad and settled in one place. I stopped leaving that city every weekend for trips. Instead I just hung out at the same bar every weekend and eventually met people. I even got a job and started hanging out with coworkers. I also got off social media and quit checking out what my friends and family were doing back home. I realized that I felt depressed when I checked.
It’s completely normal to feel this way. You will also have those things it just takes time. I believe one finds a place they feel comfortable and you settle there. One you plant roots everything falls into place. I wish you well.