How do you cope with everyday habits once you move abroad?
I’ve been spending a lot of time in Portugal lately while preparing for a long-term move out of the U.S., and something I’ve noticed keeps throwing me off: the completely different pace of day-to-day life. People take their time with everything — grocery lines move slower, conversations with clerks last forever, and even simple errands seem to stretch into half the day. It’s not “bad,” just such a drastic contrast to the constant rush I was used to back home.A few times I caught myself getting impatient or stressed for no real reason, just because things weren’t running at the hyper-efficient, hurry-up pace that’s normal in the States. Locals seemed surprised whenever I stepped aside or tried to “speed things up,” like I was the one being odd.For those of you who already left the U.S.: how long did it take before you adjusted to the slower (or just different) rhythm of life abroad? Did you struggle with it at first? Any tips for rewiring your brain after years of American urgency?
Posted Nov 28, 2025, 5:40 PM UTC