Henriette Johnsen
Anxiety in expats
Anxiety is one of the most common mental health conditions. From time to time, we all feel anxious and fearful; but for some, anxiety...
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A blog about the good expat life
by Henriette Johnsen
Welcome to my blog! Here you’ll find everything from guides on various aspects of Danish culture to personal accounts from other expats - and most importantly, an in-depth look at some of the psychological challenges of expat life. I hope you will use these blog posts to enhance your expat experience.
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Henriette Johnsen
- Aug 28, 2023
- 4 min
Expat life: maintaining friendships at home!
Whilst you may be excited about your move abroad, of starting afresh, meeting new people, engaging in a foreign culture, learning a new...
Henriette Johnsen
- Aug 28, 2023
- 2 min
How to deal with the curse of expat friendships
Whilst nurturing your friendships at home, possibly attempting to befriend the locals, you might also want to create a circle of friends...
Henriette Johnsen
- Jun 4, 2023
- 3 min
Parenthood - balance imbalances!
In Denmark, today is Father’s Day. It’s also Constitutional Day. And speaking of the law, new legislation on maternity/paternity leave...
Henriette Johnsen
- Jun 1, 2023
- 7 min
Rights and responsibilities of children in Denmark
In Denmark, adulthood starts at the age of 18, but long before then, the process of becoming independent from one's parents and of taking...
Henriette Johnsen
- May 10, 2023
- 4 min
TCK and ECS - what are they?
Third culture kids and expat child syndrome! Raising children abroad means for them to be different, being the odd ones out. And not just...
Henriette Johnsen
- May 10, 2023
- 1 min
Do Danish Babies Sleep Outside?
Many moons ago, a young Danish mother was arrested and incarcerated for 36 hours for leaving her child to nap in a pushchair outside a...
Henriette Johnsen
- May 10, 2023
- 4 min
Expat mum! Super hero!
Being a mum is one of the most challenging and rewarding roles in life – I imagine being a dad is the other one! Before motherhood, if...
Henriette Johnsen
- May 10, 2023
- 6 min
How do you raise children multiculturally?
You are keen for your child to learn another language and experience another culture from the inside, perhaps to make a better life for...
Henriette Johnsen
- Mar 8, 2023
- 5 min
How to support your expat child(ren)!
“Where do you come from?” A perfectly normal question to ask first time you meet someone. As you get to know them and realise their...
Henriette Johnsen
- Feb 25, 2023
- 3 min
Friendship isn’t a big thing
— it’s a million little things! - Paulo Coelho. Part of most expats' experience it that it's important to make friends! And preferrably...
Henriette Johnsen
- Feb 12, 2023
- 4 min
Do you speak any love languages?
As a couple's therapist working with couples of all ages and genders, across many cultures, religions, and nationalities, I recognise...
Henriette Johnsen
- Feb 5, 2023
- 5 min
The significance of mother tongue language in additional language acquisition
Since 1999 where UNESCO founded International Mother Language Day to promote awareness of language and cultural diversity around the...
Henriette Johnsen
- Jan 9, 2023
- 2 min
Enhance the emotional connection with your partner
Couples meeting each other with criticism, defensiveness, contempt, stone walling as well as lack of positive emotional connection face...
Henriette Johnsen
- Jan 6, 2023
- 2 min
Winter Depression - Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
With the lack of light and the ongoing short days, many people find themselves lacking energy, develop a persistent low mood and become...
Henriette Johnsen
- Oct 4, 2022
- 4 min
Repatriation; the hardest journey?
I's taken some time, but thankfully, there's now a lot of support to be had from companies, bloggers, and books as well as from...
Henriette Johnsen
- Mar 14, 2022
- 4 min
Protecting your mental health when feeling fearful
How can we regulate our nervous system at such testing times? Read this blogpost to understand your emotional response to the war and for...
Henriette Johnsen
- Mar 2, 2022
- 2 min
Talking with your child about the Ukraine war
Over the past two years, many children have been worried about covid: Will the virus come to Denmark? How might I be affected by it? Can...
Henriette Johnsen
- Oct 22, 2021
- 4 min
How to deal with the challenges of Empty Nest Syndrome
Part 3 of 3 posts! The last two blog posts have defined empty nest syndrome and explored why it often hits expat parents harder. In this...
Henriette Johnsen
- Oct 14, 2021
- 3 min
Why is Empty Nest Syndrome often worse for expat parents?
Part 2 of 3 posts! Last week's post defined empty nest syndrome; this week's post will look at why this experience often feels most...
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