Relocation

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1309468859257452/?ref=share

I made the move to Lanzarote along with my husband and four children.

I have now created a group for other individuals and families who also want to relocate to this beautiful island.

This group enables me to share my personal journey and hopefully will help you with your relocation.

Hopefully this group will be a platform for asking questions, receiving practical advice and the opportunity to create friendships.

I love this enchanting island 🌴 and hope to showcase the stunning landscapes, the hidden gems, along with the art and culture of our new Canarian home.

Please join me and our growing community as we share our personal experiences.

Relocation can literally be a new start, the basis of a new life, a brand new mindset. So let’s take this step together and celebrate every person’s journey.

Much love and positivity. Please join my group. Here is little of my story.

I think sometimes we can become distracted with simply existing, that we forgot to chase our dreams and passions. We have been conditioned into taking the safe option, but as for me - the path least travelled has always been an attraction.

I know raising four children, managing a household, working full time secularly and trying to maintain a marriage can be draining. Literally, at times, I have simply gone through the motions of living rather than really sucking the goodness out of life. I often found myself too tired to enjoy the little moments or to even think what I personally wanted out of life, let alone implement change.

As my children have grown and I find myself in my forties, I have started to change - in a good way. I have come to realise the importance of finding myself. That might sound a little cheesy, but it is true and I can clearly recall pivotal points, which made me want to stop, think and re-evaluate.

One day, while scrolling through YouTube, I stumbled across an inspirational speech. It said ask yourself: Who am I? What do I stand for? What will I be remembered for? It really stuck a chord with me. When you answer those questions honestly - automatically it creates pathways of change. I wanted to be the best version of me.

The opportunity to relocate came our way, I was offered a job teaching and my husband a job in real estate. We had both been working at full capacity and we desperately needed a break in our routine, so when this opportunity arose, we seized it with both hands.

It hasn’t been easy and there have been some rough patches along the way; but now a year down the line, I feel myself beginning to relax into a more natural lifestyle and culture. I have found myself appreciating the little things - a walk, a family dinner, time at the beach. Breathing in the fresh air, whilst sat at the very top of a mountain or feeling the spray of sea on my face during a balmy day, has become my new reality.

A few years ago, I hit rock bottom. For me that was a shock! I had always been the strong one, the pillar of strength within my family. I was someone who always had a plan B or C ready at hand, if plan a went astray! I felt I could do it all, not because I wanted to be a ‘super women’ in an arrogant kind of way - but because they was no other option.

Let’s face it, raising a large family these days, paying rent, utilities, putting food on the table and clothes on everyone’s back, running a car, paying all the insurances and that’s before someone says mum can I have ...... ??? it is a very costly and demanding thing to accomplish.

I would spend 60 hours a week away from my family working nights because my husband would be working during the day and that’s how we would juggle the childcare. Literally, you could say we worked around the clock! I remember regularly setting my alarm for 4 hours sleep after being awake for 24 hours straight because I simply didn’t have the time to waste!

Soon my health started to fail, having a headache which later turned into killer migraines became a permanent feature of my life. I would live off painkillers simply to function. I was tired to my very bones, often fighting to stay awake on my commute back home - I was struggling.

But the biggest shock of all was when my mental health started to suffer, the overwhelming feeling of not being able to cope and the anxiety and fear of not being able to continue at this pace made be so anxious for what would entail? How would all the bills be paid, what would become us, if I stopped? I really felt I was losing control of my life.

Moving to lanzarote, as said before hasn’t been easy and not all my children have appreciated the move, but hopefully, that will gradually alter. The biggest challenge - they have been pushed out of their own comfort zones attending Spanish school and having to learn a new language; but ultimately, I feel it has been the right decision for us and me.

We may not live the same polished house, which came with a gardener as we did in the UK but I certainly feel my stress levels are dropping and I have time to think. For me, I created a vision board, it’s not for everyone, but I think it helps you focus on exactly you want to accomplish and in which direction you want to be heading - I choose pictures or quotes that I would like to embrace and that’s what I work towards. It keeps your goals close in mind.

Naomi x