The Good Expat Life

11/06/2025

🏆 𝐀 𝐬𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐢𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐧𝐞𝐰𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐲 𝐬𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 🏆

Earlier this year, The Good Expat Life was nominated and won Best Expat Therapy Provider plus an Excellence Award in Family Therapy in the GHP Mental Health Awards 2025.

While I always take these kinds of accolades with a grain of salt (and a healthy sense of realism), I’m still genuinely grateful. Mostly because it gives me a moment to reflect on how lucky I am to work in this field; supporting expats and their families across the world with their mental health, identity, and relationships.

Working with this community is something I care deeply about, and I’m endlessly inspired by the people I meet - both expats, employers, and others working within this field.

For anyone curious, there’s a link to the short feature from the awards page in the comments to this post.

Thanks to all of you who support, share, refer, collaborate - or simply check in from time to time 💚

11/04/2025

𝐒𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐟𝐟 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐞 👋

After months of many personal changes and hard work - amongst other things, getting married, moving, and polishing off an exciting new online course on attachment style for expats, that I am planning to launch this summer, I am in dire need of a little R&R🪫🔋

So, for the next two weeks, I am closing down shop to enjoy our honeymoon in gorgeous Hoi An in Vietnam as well as a few days in buzzing Singapore – and for the remainder of April and throughout May, I won’t be present on SoMe.

I will return in June with renewed energy and ideas ❤️ Until then, be well!

With love, Henriette.

02/04/2025

'𝐑𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐞: 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐰𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐦𝐞𝐞𝐭? 🤔

As I told you last week, I am in the process of rethinking my communication channels. I want to spend my time and energy where it matters most, connecting with expats worldwide.

And so, I'm wondering: how did you first come across me? Did you hear of me through a friend? Stumble upon my page, or my LinkedIn account? Or perhaps landed on my website through a Google search? Or something else entirely?

👇 If you can remember, please let me know in the comments - this insight is incredibly valuable to me!

27/03/2025

𝐈𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐲 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬? 🤨

For some time, I've been contemplating if I'm spending my energy in the right places (not a bad exercise if you're feeling a little worn out).

I love to chat and connect with fellow expats, and in my eagerness to do so, I've created a page, a group, a LinkedIn account, a website and blog, and a newsletter.

But it's time to admit to myself and to you that it's taking up too much of my energy. And so I'm contemplating: where do I spend my energy wisest?

This page was my first channel, but with time it has gotten harder and harder to reach people here. So to put it to the test:

If you're actually seeing this post, would you please be so kind as to interact with it in some way? Like, react, or comment. And if you're about to leave a comment anyway, please let me know: what would be the best channel to connect with you?

Thank you 👏

20/03/2025

🌎 𝐀𝐬 𝐚𝐧 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐚𝐭, 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐝𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐬? 🤝

It's International Day of Happiness today, and one thing that is 🗝️ to expat happiness is finding friends in your new country.

However, depending on where you move, and how big the cultural differences are, making friends with the locals can be difficult. Some expats never succeed in feeling that they fully belong to the local community.

It is worthwhile making an effort though, especially if you plan on staying for more than a short period of time. I have shared my tips on befriending Danes before, and will share them again in the comments. Though many of you are not in Denmark, some of the tips may still apply. See the link to the article in the comments' section.

But mostly, I would like to hear from you: whereabouts have your expat life brought you, and how did you connect with the locals?

(I'll start by sharing my experience as an expat in the UK in the comments.)

It’s no secret, that Denmark has a lot to offer, but being an expat in one of the seemingly happiest countries in the world is no walk in the park when it comes to making friends with the locals. I once heard someone say that to make local friends in Denmark is a slow growing plant.Without going i...

18/03/2025

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝟑 𝐭𝐲𝐩𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐚𝐭 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩𝐬 👭👫👬

Resharing this post and some popular blog posts on this special occasion.*

As expats, there are roughly speaking three types of friendships:

1️⃣ Your friends back home: these friendships are often tested on their strength when you relocate. As a lot of expats can attest to, some friendships fall through, especially if you live abroad for longer periods of time.

2️⃣ Friends from the expat community: often the easiest friendships to make, but fickle and at times a bit superficial.

3️⃣ Friends from the local community: depending on the cultural differences, making friends with the locals can be difficult. Some expats never get there. But it is worth making an effort, especially if you plan on staying for a longer period.

👉 Click the link to see my blog posts on all 3 types (+ a bonus post about making friends with the Danes, in case you're an expat in Denmark).

___

*In case you didn't know, it's Global Recycling Day ♻️😉

The Good Expat Life by psychotherapist and former expat Henriette Johnsen. Click here to read all my blog posts about friendships.

13/03/2025

Friends are the pillars of strength we lean on when life gets tough, and this is especially true when your romantic relationship is struggling.

🫶 𝐈𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐧𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐚 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐬, 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞:

❤️‍🩹Listen without judgement: sometimes, all they need is a compassionate ear to share their feelings and fears.

❤️‍🩹Offer your presence (even if virtual): whether it's a walk in the park or a transatlantic coffee date on FaceTime, your presence can provide comfort and distraction.

❤️‍🩹Avoid taking sides: focus on your friend's well-being rather than judging the relationship, keeping your support unbiased and loving.

❤️‍🩹Remind them of their worth: remind your friend of their strengths and qualities, boosting their confidence and self-esteem during this challenging time.

❤️‍🩹Encourage professional help if needed: gently suggest they consider counselling or therapy, reassuring them that seeking help is a sign of strength.

What is your favourite way to be there for a friend in need?

10/03/2025

𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲: 𝐚 𝐠𝐮𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐬 ❤️‍🩹

For the past month, we've been doing a deep dive into the not so fun, but very important subject of infidelity. I have gathered some of my best advice to those affected by infidelity in this blogpost - on how to move on and rebuild a safe connection.

Click the link to read - and please share the post with a friend who needs it 💌

Navigating the Difficult Terrain of Betrayal and RecoveryInfidelity is a challenging topic, often evoking deep emotional responses and feelings of betrayal. For expats, the complexities of living in a new and foreign environment can add extra layers to these already intense emotions. As a psychother...

06/03/2025

𝐈𝐧𝐟𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲: 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐲!

Sometimes, it’s impossible to navigate infidelity alone. Therapy can help...

❤️‍🩹When emotions become overwhelming
❤️‍🩹When you can’t look at your partner without being triggered
❤️‍🩹When you keep revisiting the same issues and conflicts
❤️‍🩹When you can’t seem to make any progress on your own
❤️‍🩹When you don’t know how to move on as a couple
❤️‍🩹When you struggle with forgiveness and/or re-building trust.

Seeking support isn’t a sign of failure; it’s an act of love—for yourself and your partner 🧡

04/03/2025

𝐌𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 - 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝟐.𝟎 ✨

Experience shows, that couples who do make it through the healing process of infidelity will have...

• become better at meeting each other emotionally
• become better at communicating about vulnerable subjects
• an enhanced ability to speak, listen, and allow space
• understood and broken free of any automated negative patterns
• become better at recognising and dealing with any warning signs.

Do you believe that a couple can make it out stronger on the other side after infidelity?

27/02/2025

💔 Healing after infidelity takes time, effort, and responsibility from both sides ❤️‍🩹

𝐈𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐫, 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐩𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞:

❤️‍🩹Take full responsibility for your actions
❤️‍🩹Drop all contact with the third-party
❤️‍🩹Always be honest with your partner, if the third-party contacts you. Show your partner the contact. Compose a written reply together – and send it as a couple. This can be something along the lines of: “we have decided to work on our marriage and there will be no further contact with you”.

For you and your partner to find forgiveness, heal, and regain trust, it’s vital that the cheating partner is able to fully understand and feel the pain inflicted upon their partner, takes unconditional responsibility for their actions, and allows their partner to be suspicious and is able to meet them in their doubts.

Regaining trust is a time-consuming process – and can’t be forced.

Remember that forgiveness in itself doesn’t lead to closeness, safety, connection, or healing. Forgiveness doesn’t automatically lead to trust being rebuild – and a relationship dies or lives with trust.