Hello again and welcome – it is great to have you back!
I am compiling this latest Newsletter from my home in Spain where we are currently experiencing a major “heatwave” along with most other parts of Southern Europe and the Mediterranean. This photo of me was taken in Altea, north of Alicante on Costa Blanca, early May before it really set in.
Global Climate Change
There is huge debate about climate change in the news media, and it is a subject which I touched upon briefly in the free download “Fresh Frontiers”. Do you have it yet? If not click here.
It has led me to ponder further on how fast things are moving in other ways too– for better or worse – and I am pleased to be able to share some more thoughts with you now. It is in our human nature that we often give a knee-jerk negative reaction to any type of change. So, let’s try and get ahead of it all and see how we might respond positively instead!
Change is the only constant wherever we look.
Anecdotal evidence suggests perhaps that concerns about adapting to new weather expectations and environmental issues may lead some travellers to reconsider their future destination choices for both work and pleasure. Younger people particularly are worried about the future not only of the planet but also for their ability to thrive in the world of work. They are hampered by student debt, degrees that are deemed worthless by employers, lack of openings and other jobs disappearing due to revolutionary uses of technology. There are failures highlighted with school exams too alongside controversy and uproar from parents about impact of the “woke” agenda and sex and gender issues.
More people on the move
Mass migration of various groups of people is also in the headlines, predominantly with illegal migrants swarming across the borders of the UK and USA, creating disruption and havoc in some communities, with calls for much tougher control and targeted “points based” entry to avoid having newly arrived and unemployable people relying on state support. Stability, low crime rates and personal security are what we all prefer to have wherever we are based. That alone may be a bigger factor in our decision making going forward – as even sophisticated and elegant Paris has found out recently with violent protests on the streets and travel warnings issued for foreign visitors.
New rules and regulations
British workers and retirees are also finding it tougher now post-Brexit to take advantage of opportunities in the EU. Government policies are always subject to change as they take account of the political and economic climate and, at times they might sound extremely radical or harsh. Some nations are easing their visa regulations for certain professionals (such as UAE) lowering investment requirements, offering attractive ways to obtain permanent residency or citizenship etc. The massive rise of working from home, and remotely, since the Covid lockdown era continues apace and has led Spain, for one, now to offer digital nomad visas. So how does that affect us on a local level?
Different local vibes
The character of the local foreign community in any given country is therefore changing also. As the new of generation of expats and immigrants become established there may be increased efforts to promote cultural integration and overcome language barriers – this has happened already with tuition and workshops online across borders and could well lead to rather more diverse and inclusive societies than before. Certain locations may decide to offer new incentives to entice qualified foreign workers to move to technology and innovation hubs.
Robots taking control!
Again, there is much controversy and debate around the development and use of artificial intelligence (AI) and the impact on our daily lives with everything from the use of apps on our phones, a cashless society to the supply of renewable, clean, energy and electric or driverless vehicles. Do not get swept away with the group in a direction you do not wish to take. It is better to go alone that with a whole crowd heading in the wrong direction. Trust your natural intuition.
Has the world gone mad?
Meanwhile, as chaos ensues with air, rail, road, and sea travel due to protests, strikes and systems failures over the long hot summer holidays, I feel we all need to take a step back and not get caught up in all the drama around us, hard as that my seem when we find ourselves in the thick of it. What can we do to cope with
“If you can keep your head when all around are losing theirs” ….. From “If” by Rudyard Kipling
In my book Brains at the Border, I urge new arrivals who are overwhelmed by a very different and unfamiliar way of life in a strange country to ask the question: “Is your home country really any better or worse than where you have landed, or is it just different?” And now I find myself frequently those who wish they could turn back the clock to past eras:
“Was it really any better in the old days or was it just different?!”
Sometimes we just need to take a step back, take a few deep breaths and stay calm. Ask ourselves what it is we don’t like and don’t want. Then ask what we do want to see in the future – make a note of it. Decide what YOU stand for and what you focus on to stay positive. Identify what your essential and desirable things are for your travel abroad. Do your own research. Being prepared will help your confidence, resilience, flexibility, and adaptability to any sudden and unexpected turn of events!
Shifting sands at speed
There is no doubt a massive amount of incredibly rapid change coming at us all at once and it can make us feel lost as to where we should go and what we should do. We may feel varying degrees of despair, or confusion, horror, fear, dread, insecurity, vulnerability, nervousness, internal conflict, frustration, panic and sadness or resentment. These are all very common emotions that I help clients release and recover from using the Emotion Code healing technique – or which are identified with the Body Code as contributing to physical symptoms. You can find all the essential details at lyndabrettle.com and please contact me to arrange an online session to feel the difference yourself. Until next time!
