Moving abroad often comes with a mix of excitement and anxiety — new languages, new systems, and endless possibilities. But for AuDHD adults (those who are both ADHD and autistic), life abroad can feel like a constant balancing act between freedom and overwhelm.
If you’re an English-speaking expat or migrant in Europe and you’ve recently discovered (or suspect) you’re neurodivergent, this article is for you.
Living with both ADHD and autism often means living between worlds — fast and slow, open and cautious, curious yet overstimulated.
Now imagine adding migration into that mix: new languages, social expectations, and bureaucracy. It’s no wonder so many AuDHD adults describe expat life as both liberating and exhausting.
For some, moving abroad feels like a second chance — an opportunity to start over without old expectations.
For others, it can quietly amplify challenges with executive functioning, sensory processing, or social fatigue.
Interestingly, many AuDHD people are drawn to life abroad — even before realizing their neurodivergence.
Novelty and curiosity: ADHD brains love stimulation and change.
Autonomy and reinvention: Moving away can mean more control over routines and fewer social pressures to “mask.”
Cross-cultural empathy: Autism often brings deep curiosity about how people and systems work — expats get to study that up close.
Still, without the right supports, this same curiosity can lead to chronic overstimulation and burnout.
1. Language Fatigue: Even if you speak the local language well, constant translation and social decoding can drain your mental energy.
2. Bureaucracy Overload: Paperwork, appointments, forms — and every system working just a little differently than expected.
Executive function challenges make this especially overwhelming.
3. Social Isolation: Finding community as a neurodivergent expat can be tricky.
Local groups might not get your experiences, while expat circles can sometimes feel surface-level or transient.
4. Sensory and Emotional Burnout: New cities, public transport, noise levels, and cultural habits — it’s a lot of input.
Over time, it can build into AuDHD burnout: that deep exhaustion where everything feels too much, even joy…
Being AuDHD and living abroad is not about “overcoming” your traits — it’s about creating a life that honors them.
It’s okay if you need more structure or downtime than others.
It’s okay if language learning takes longer or networking feels awkward.
You are allowed to build a version of expat life that feels sustainable, gentle, and authentic.
You Are Not Behind — You Are Discovering!!!
Many AuDHD expats discover their neurodivergence in their 30s, 40s, or even later.
It can be both freeing (“finally, this makes sense”) and destabilizing (“why didn’t I know this earlier?”).
Wherever you are in that journey, you are not behind — you are simply discovering your own map.
And living abroad gives you a unique opportunity to build life from that place of understanding.
I offer online coaching for AuDHD adults living in Europe — especially English-speaking expats and migrants in Germany and beyond.
Together, we explore how to build clarity, confidence, and balance — beyond labels.
