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Bluebell Coaching for Expats

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Leusden
Bluebell Coaching for Expats

Cat Boersma | Nature-based coach & somatic trauma therapist

Helping overwhelmed expat women feel grounded and more at home in themselves 🌿

30/08/2026

Imagine spending your day switching between:

another language,

different social expectations,

work,

family,

messages,

appointments,

school logistics,

unfamiliar systems,

and hundreds of small decisions.

Then something tiny happens.

You can't find something.

Someone misunderstands you.

You receive an unexpected email.

Your child needs something.

The appointment changes.

And suddenly you feel completely overwhelmed.

You might think:

“Why am I reacting like this? It's not even a big deal.”

But the size of the reaction isn't always about the size of the final event.

Sometimes it is about everything that came before it.

When your system has already been working hard to adapt, there may be less capacity left for one more demand.

This doesn't mean something is wrong with you.

Before asking “Why am I reacting like this?”, try asking: “What have I already been carrying today?”

It means your body keeps a kind of running account of demand.

And sometimes the smallest thing is simply the thing that tips the balance.

28/08/2026

There is a difference.

A woman can be working.

Parenting.

Running a household.

Making friends.

Learning Dutch.

Showing up for everyone.

Organising appointments.

Planning holidays.

Smiling when someone asks how things are going.

And still feel deeply tired.

Not necessarily because her life is bad.

But because functioning requires effort.

Especially when much of life still involves adapting.

In my work, I often become interested in what happens underneath the obvious story.

Not only:

“How are you managing?”

But:

“What does managing cost you?”

That question can open a very different conversation.

Because sometimes the thing that looks like competence from the outside is actually a woman holding herself together very tightly.

And sometimes the body notices the cost before the mind is ready to name it.

That is one of the reasons I work with body awareness and nature.

There is often more room to notice what is happening when we step outside the usual environment of desks, schedules and expectations.

When you say “I'm fine”, what does “fine” actually mean for you?

27/08/2026

There is the obvious work:

Finding a home.
Registering with the municipality.
Learning the transport system.
Finding a GP.
Understanding taxes.
Learning the language.

But then there is the invisible work.

How direct should I be?

Did I understand what she meant?

Was that invitation genuine?

Should I bring something?

Is this how people normally behave here?

Why did that conversation feel uncomfortable?

Do I say what I really think, or will that come across differently here?

And then there are hundreds of tiny decisions every day.

None of them necessarily feels enormous.

But together, they can become exhausting.

This is one reason why life abroad can feel tiring even when nothing is particularly wrong.

Your brain and body are continually processing information that used to be automatic.

You are learning a new environment while simultaneously trying to remain yourself within it.

That is adaptation.

And adaptation takes energy.

Have you noticed that things you once did automatically now require a little more thought?

25/08/2026

You know where the supermarket is.

You know how to get to work.

You have figured out the Dutch healthcare system.

You may even have friends, a job, children at school and a favourite coffee place.

From the outside, it can look like you have settled.

But perhaps something still feels slightly… off.

You are tired of explaining yourself.

You sometimes miss being somewhere where things were automatic.

You think twice before making decisions that used to be simple.

You notice that conversations take more energy because you are constantly translating—not only words, but humour, expectations, social rules and yourself.

And sometimes you wonder:

“Why am I still finding this difficult? I've been here for years.”

Because settling into a country isn't only about learning how things work.

It is also about finding your place within them.

And that takes time.

You are not failing at expat life because you haven't magically become completely comfortable.

Perhaps you are still becoming at home.

What is something about living abroad that still takes more energy than you
expected?

23/08/2026

You don't have to change your whole life to feel more like yourself again. 🌿

When life gets busy, we often think we need a holiday, a weekend away, or a complete reset.

But your nervous system doesn't always need something big.

It responds to small moments of safety and connection, repeated over time.

Perhaps today, that looks like:

🌿 Taking your morning coffee outside.

🌿 Walking for ten minutes without your phone.

🌿 Noticing the sound of birds instead of your to-do list.

🌿 Taking three slow breaths before opening your laptop.

🌿 Resting against a tree for a few minutes on your way home.

These moments may seem small.

But they are powerful reminders to your body that you don't have to be 'on' all the time.

As an expat, life often asks you to adapt, organise and keep moving forward.

So let this be your reminder:

You are allowed to pause.

You are allowed to slow down.

You are allowed to care for yourself with the same kindness you so often give to others.

Because coming home to yourself isn't one big moment.

It's something you create, one small step at a time.

💚 Which of these small rituals could you try this week? Or do you have one that helps you feel grounded? Share it below—I’d love to hear your ideas.

21/08/2026

What if belonging doesn't begin with finding your people? 🌿

When we move abroad, it's easy to believe we'll finally feel settled when...
..we've made enough friends...our language skills are better...we know the area...life feels familiar.

But what if belonging starts somewhere else?

What if it starts with the relationship you have with yourself?

I've noticed that many expat women spend so much energy adapting to everyone and everything around them that they slowly lose sight of their own needs.

They become experts at fitting in.

But they forget what helps them feel grounded.

For me, nature is a gentle reminder that I don't have to perform or prove anything.

Among the trees, there are no expectations.

Just space to breathe.
Space to notice.
Space to remember who I am beneath all the adapting.

Belonging isn't about becoming someone different to fit your new surroundings.

It's about feeling at home within yourself, wherever you are.

🌿 Maybe this week, give yourself permission to pause.

Take a walk.
Leave your phone in your pocket.
Notice what your body is telling you.

Sometimes the first place we need to come home to... is ourselves.

💚 When do you feel most like yourself? I'd love to hear in the comments.

20/08/2026

Everyone sees the adventure of living abroad. Few people see the adjustment. 🌿

Moving to a new country isn't just about finding a house or learning the language.

It's about constantly adapting.

Learning new systems.
Building new friendships.
Navigating unfamiliar ways of doing things.

It's exciting—but it can also be exhausting.

Many expat women carry this invisible work quietly.

They keep everything running.
They support everyone around them.
They smile and say they're fine.

Until their body starts whispering, "I need a moment too."

This is why I believe spending time in nature is so powerful.

Not because it solves every problem, but because it gives us space to pause, breathe and reconnect with ourselves.

You don't have to earn your rest.

Sometimes, slowing down is exactly what your nervous system has been asking for all along.

💚 What helps you feel grounded when life abroad becomes overwhelming?

18/08/2026

Starting over in a new country is exhausting — even when everything looks fine from the outside.

You might have a home.

A job.

A family.

A beautiful place to live.

And yet…

Something still feels unsettled.

Because creating a life abroad is not only about changing your address.

It is about rebuilding your sense of familiarity.

You have to learn new ways of doing things.

New systems.
New social rules.
New routines.
New expectations.

Even simple things can require extra energy when you are living in a country that is not your own.

Where do I find this?
How does this work?
Who can I ask?
How do I make friends?
Where do I belong?

These small moments of adaptation add up.

And often, expat women carry this invisible work quietly.

They organise.
They manage.
They support their families.
They try to make everything work.

Until one day they realise:

“I don’t really know where I fit anymore.”

This is why reconnecting with yourself matters.

Before we can truly feel at home somewhere new, we need moments where we feel at home within ourselves.

Nature can offer that space.

A walk without needing to achieve anything.

A moment where you can breathe.

A place where you do not have to explain who you are or prove anything.

Just a chance to reconnect with your own rhythm again.

🌿

You are not only building a new life.

You are also learning how to bring yourself into that new life.

And that takes time.

✨

What part of creating a life abroad has surprised you the most?

💬 I would love to hear from you — what has been the hardest part of adapting to life abroad?

16/08/2026

Did you meet a different version of yourself this summer?

Maybe she was slower.

She laughed more.

She spent more time outside.

She felt more present.

Maybe she wasn’t constantly thinking about the next thing on the list.

And then…

You came home.

The suitcase was unpacked.
The laundry started.
The emails returned.
The calendar filled up again.

And slowly, that version of yourself seemed to disappear.

Many expat women know this feeling.

Living abroad asks you to constantly adapt.

You learn new systems.
You navigate unfamiliar cultures.
You build friendships from scratch.
You create a home while still carrying pieces of another one.

It takes energy.

Sometimes more energy than you realise.

And somewhere along the way, you can lose connection with yourselve.

The things that used to bring you joy.
The rhythms that grounded you.
The activities that reminded you who you are.

Summer often gives you a glimpse of yourselve underneath all the responsibilities.

The curious part.
The playful part.
The calm part.
The part that feels alive.

The goal is not to hold onto the holiday feeling forever.

The invitation is to bring small pieces of that version of yourself back into everyday life.

🌿 A walk outside without rushing.
🌿 Time to breathe and reconnect with your body.
🌿 Returning to something creative or meaningful.
🌿 Creating small rituals that remind your nervous system: I am safe. I belong here.

Coming back from summer is not only about returning to your routine.

It can also be an opportunity to return to yourself.

✨

What part of yourself did you reconnect with this summer?

💬 Share in the comments — what did summer remind you about yourself?

14/08/2026

🌿 The last weekend of July reminded me why I do what I do.

It reinforced something I have come to believe deeply over the past few years...

We all have an incredible capacity to heal and grow.

Not because someone has all the answers.

But because, when we're given the right environment, our bodies and minds begin to reconnect with what they've known all along.

Last weekend, while mentoring the Level 1 Nature & Therapy students on Dartmoor, I witnessed something truly special.

As we immersed ourselves beneath the forest canopy, conversations deepened, connections were made, and people found the space to simply be.

It wasn't about fixing anyone.

It was about slowing down.

Listening.

Trusting the process.

Nature has an extraordinary way of creating the conditions for that to happen.

Watching people leave with a little more clarity, confidence and self-trust reminded me once again why I believe so strongly in the work I do.

Sometimes, the greatest transformation doesn't come from doing more.

It comes from giving ourselves permission to pause.

💚 What helps you reconnect with yourself when life feels overwhelming?

I'd love to hear in the comments.

🌳

Adres

Klaverland 11
Leusden
3833CA

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Dinsdag	09:00 - 17:00
Vrijdag	09:00 - 16:00

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+31639542817

Website

http://www.bluebellcoaching.com/

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