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While pursuing a career and exploring is an important part of the lives of expats, there are moments in which it is better to decide to let some opportunities go and focus on ourselves. Surprisingly such a decision can make us see our home place with new eyes and gain much more. There are few important factors that can influence that decision.

You stopped being happy for a long time. 

The whole reason behind exploring is to be fulfilled by it. It is supposed to be a source of inspiration and a motivation to be the best we can be. However, sometimes we feel like this is not enough. Factors like the weather, the culture, the geographical position, lack of friendships can influence our mood, and they should not be ignored. If it makes you profoundly unhappy, it is good to consider options for going back. This decision, however, should be evaluated in a longer period. Living abroad can be often intimidating, but in some cases, it gets easier with time. 

You are far from your partner or family, and family is important for you. You may have visa issues, or simply members of your family may prefer to live in your home country. Separation can be hard and can influence your work and your perception of the place you live in. These decisions depend on individual cases, as partnerships require work from both sides, but if being far from your closest ones makes you unhappy, it is better to come back.

You have a worse work-life balance than you would have in your country. 

Going to a new country is often inspired by better work benefits and more opportunities. In many cases, salary or work promotion are decisive factors to move to a new country. However, work should not come at the cost of your well-being. If this is the case, it is important to make a decision if climbing the career ladder is more important than having a fulfilled life.

You have visa problems and cannot stay anymore. 

While this is a doomsday scenario, it is not the end of the world. Documents can cause stress, which makes us fail to see the fortune in our misfortune. Sometimes we go back home to discover the beauties of our land and the people in it. While it is frustrating to wait for visa or residence permits, it is important to use this time to your advantage. Your home country might teach you lessons that no other place in the world ever will. 

You are being too stressed.  

Maybe it is caused by your work, your new living conditions or by the overall environment. If you feel that you are constantly stressed by your surroundings and that this can be resolved if you move back, it is the right thing to do.

You don't want your kids to grow up not knowing about your culture. 

Maybe after living many years, you have managed to adapt to the new culture, or perhaps you still refuse to completely accept it as your own. These topics are even stronger when it comes to family. If you don't like the traditions (or the lack thereof) in the country you live in, you need to be aware that they will be the living conditions for your kids. If your culture is important for you, you will want your kids to be familiar with it. 

Your life is of lower quality than in your country. 

You move abroad to gain something that otherwise you would not have in the country you come from, like work or cultural experiences. But being an expat means that you move for the better. When you notice that your living standard is lower than the one you could have in your country, it is a sure sign that sooner or later you should go back. 

It is not how you imagined it. 

Maybe you were excited to move to a new place imagining all the opportunities it will bring. But with time, the thrill fades away, and reality kicks in. Maybe you realize that you don't like living in a big city as much as you thought, or maybe you find a small place too boring for your needs. If you start feeling homesick because you're disappointed by the new environment, you always have the option to return. 

You have no meaningful relationships. 

According to a Harvard study, the single most important factor for human happiness is having meaningful relationships. To think more broadly about the concept of love, it is important when living abroad to have a friend or a partner to share the good and the bad moments. If you feel like the current culture does not offer you the possibility to make quality connections, unlike your home country, you should give priority to friendship.

You want to pursue another career. 

Changing a career or studies can be a confusing period. Then it is very important to set your priorities straight, and no matter what you do to do it well. Sometimes in this scenario, it is easier to focus on the new topic when you don't have to go through the distractions and challenges that living as an expat brings. 

You're afraid to go back home. 

Maybe you have been away for too long, or maybe you are afraid that going back to your country is going to feel like a failure. Maybe you have unresolved past situations that make you hesitant to go back. But fortune favours the brave, and the biggest journey in life is always the one inward.