Hello from the other side of the world!
For those who didn’t know, I recently made the move to Dublin, Ireland! It’s been 2 months now and it’s been quite the rollercoaster of events but I’m embracing all the obstacles, the good, the bad, the expected, and the unexpected.
I previously wrote about why I wanted to move abroad and why I moved to Ireland. In this last part, I’ll answer this question: why did I move to Ireland now?
Why Did I Move to Ireland Now?
Much of my progress to move aborad was in slow motion. It honestly took the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown to get my butt into gear.
The pandemic put everything into perspective for me.
Previously, I felt I had to burn myself out from a job in order to make ends meet. I worked hard, stayed late at work sometimes, and took on tasks without much pushback or sufficient assistance. In the end, it got me nowhere. Sure, I had promotions and raises but at what cost? My mental health was not in a good place and I’m sure my roommate/best friend was tired of me complaining about how defeated I felt. The weight of burn out and the pandemic was getting to be too much to deal with. In May 2021, I cracked, went through what felt like a mental breakdown, and had enough.
Throughout lockdown, I saw how other employees were treated at their jobs. They were let go from jobs they gave so much of their time and energy to. During this time, we as a society began to prioritize our personal and family’s health and happiness. And at the time, hundreds of thousands of people died from the COVID-19 virus. Knowing this and going through my own experiences in the workplace made me realize that my mental health and happiness was more important than a paycheck.
(I also want to point out that I recognize this thought process comes from a privileged place. I know not everyone has the ability or means to think the way I did about this situation or even take action on it the way I did. But I did want to share how I arrived to where I am now and in the interest of transparency, this is how it occurred.)
Once I had that realization, my focus shifted. I needed to put me first, not my employer. If I don’t take care of myself first, how can I do well in other areas of my life, career included? I also knew that because this is something I’ve wanted for years, if I didn’t do this now, I would regret it the rest of my life. While I fleshed out my plan, I was lucky to have found a healthy workplace with a supportive team to work with.
I told myself that 2022 was the year and I was moving, whether I was ready for it or not. As bleak as it sounds, bad things like viruses, wars, and political drama will happen no matter what. I couldn’t sit back and wait for the “right time” because it will never come. It was now or never.
So, I chose now.
