Kerala Man Highlights Emotional Toll Of Working Abroad: "Panic Before Flight Even Takes Off"

The dream of moving abroad for a better life has fuelled the ambitions of countless Indians, but is the grass really greener on the other side? A Kerala man has sparked a conversation online after highlighting the emotional toll of working abroad as he awaits his return. In his post titled "Life of an NRI Malayali - Panic Before the Flight Even Takes Off", the user shared that he was on a month-long vacation and was spending time with family in his hometown. However, as the break is coming to an end, he said that he is already dreading work and his life abroad. 

"The thought of going back to that stressful work routine abroad is giving me full-blown panic attacks out of nowhere," the anonymous user wrote. "What makes it worse is the thought of facing those few venomous colleagues - you know the type. Passive-aggressive, fake smiles, constantly pulling others down to feel important. It's mentally exhausting, and I can already feel that suffocating atmosphere creeping in," he continued. 

Life of an NRI Malayali — Panic Before the Flight Even Takes Off
byu/Tjpain87 innri

The Redditor went on to say that he is left counting days and minutes at home. "Everything feels so precious now. And somewhere deep inside, a small voice keeps saying: 'If I had enough money, I wouldn't leave. I'd just settle here, live a quiet life, close to family, far from fake people and corporate pressure,'" he added.

The user concluded the post saying, "People often think NRI life is glamorous. They don't see this side of the story - the emotional rollercoaster, the forced goodbyes, the longing for a sense of belonging." 

"Anyone else here go through this emotional crash before flying back? How do you deal with it?" he asked Reddiors. 

The post quickly caught the attention of social media users. Reacting to it, one user wrote, "I understand. To be honest, I used to have same feelings when I used to return back from my home town to my work town even in India." 

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"Sounds like you are trapped in a toxic work culture or highly aggressive (or high pressure) company or project. If that is the case, then only solution is start updating the profile and look for a new job(before that , take some time and decide what you want(in your new job) and what is your priorities) And good luck man. Hope you can come out of this situation soon," commented another. 

"I empathize with you. I feel like that on my India vacation as well. As others are saying correctly though, it's often an issue that you tried to escape from in the first place. That issue needs to be solved. It also helps to have a small but tight community abroad. Genuine connections who will be happy to see you back," said a third user. 

"Your body is telling you to find another job. Life is too short to stay within a toxic culture," one user wrote.