Moving to a new country comes with a mix of excitement, hope, and an underlying fear of the unknown. When I packed my bags and moved to the United Arab Emirates, I expected new job opportunities, a better lifestyle, and adventure. What I didn’t anticipate was how much it would quietly distance me from the spiritual side of my life.
Life here is fast. It sparkles with luxury malls, futuristic buildings, buzzing social scenes, and endless options for entertainment. But amid all that noise, I began to feel like a stranger to myself — disconnected from the deeper parts of my identity, faith, and inner peace.
The Culture Shock That No One Prepares You For
When people talk about moving to the UAE, they mention the weather, the skyscrapers, the salaries, and the nightlife. But no one tells you how jarring it can be when you realise the values you grew up with start feeling like distant memories.
Back home, spirituality wasn’t a weekend activity — it was naturally woven into my daily routine. Whether it was praying before meals, lighting a candle at dusk, or quietly reflecting before bedtime, my life had gentle spiritual pauses that grounded me.
In the UAE, life moves so quickly that those pauses started slipping away. Days turned into weeks, and before I knew it, months had gone by without me checking in with myself in the ways I once did.
The Pressure to Keep Up
Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and other Emirates have a culture of ambition and perfection. Everyone seems to be hustling — chasing promotions, luxury cars, the next big social event, or an Instagram-perfect life. In trying to keep up with the pace, I realised I was spending more time scrolling through highlight reels of other people’s lives than reflecting on my own.
The pressure to appear successful and happy can be suffocating. And the busier you get maintaining that image, the more you lose touch with your inner world. I started avoiding quiet moments because they made me realise how unsettled I felt.
The Loneliness in Crowded Places
You can be surrounded by people and still feel completely alone. I met dozens of new acquaintances, went to brunches, rooftop gatherings, and beach parties. The social calendar was full, but my soul felt emptier than ever.
There’s a different kind of loneliness that comes when you miss not just people, but the version of yourself you were when you were with them. I missed the conversations that went beyond small talk. I missed people who understood my spiritual language, who believed in signs, in silent prayers, in unexplainable peace.
The Disconnect From Nature
One thing I didn’t realise until I moved here was how much nature used to nourish my spirit. Back home, even a walk by the trees, sitting near a river, or watching rain felt healing. In the UAE’s desert environment, where greenery is limited and the weather often discourages outdoor moments, I felt cut off from those natural spiritual resets.
There’s beauty in the golden sand dunes and sunsets, yes, but the disconnect from the kind of nature I grew up with added to my sense of spiritual displacement.
Faith Becomes a Routine, Not a Connection
Ironically, the UAE is a place that openly embraces religion and cultural traditions. Mosques call out prayers five times a day, and religious holidays are public celebrations. But for me, personal faith stopped being a soulful connection and turned into a routine check-in.
I found myself going through the motions without feeling them. I’d recite prayers, attend gatherings, and perform rituals, but the spark was missing. The city’s rhythm made it difficult to sit in silence and feel a genuine connection with a higher power.
The Quiet Realisation That I Was Spiritually Lost
It wasn’t one dramatic incident that made me realise how spiritually lost I felt. It was the accumulation of little moments — anxiety before sleeping, overthinking my purpose, chasing material goals, and avoiding uncomfortable feelings.
I remember sitting alone one evening in my apartment, looking at the glittering city skyline, and realising that for all its brightness, my inner world had grown dim.
Learning to Listen to the Silence Again
The first step to finding my spiritual balance again was accepting how disconnected I had become. I stopped pretending that everything was fine. I began setting small, intentional moments in my day for stillness — no phone, no noise, no company.
Even five minutes of sitting quietly with my thoughts felt strange at first. But slowly, I began to feel a shift. The silence that once made me anxious started becoming a space of comfort.
Redefining What Spirituality Means to Me
I also realised that my definition of spirituality had to evolve. It didn’t have to look like it did back home. It didn’t have to follow a rigid pattern. I started finding spiritual moments in small things — watching a sunset alone, making a cup of tea in silence, writing in a journal, or simply breathing deeply before starting my day.
I allowed myself to believe that spirituality wasn’t something I lost; it was something I was being invited to rediscover in new forms.
Building Meaningful Connections
One of the most healing parts of this journey has been finding like-minded people. It wasn’t easy. It meant stepping away from surface-level social circles and investing time in quieter, more intentional gatherings.
I joined a meditation group, attended a few yoga sessions, and even connected with a few people who shared stories of their own spiritual struggles after moving abroad. Knowing I wasn’t alone in feeling this way made the burden lighter.
Reclaiming My Spiritual Practices
Slowly, I started bringing back the spiritual habits that mattered to me. Not out of obligation, but out of longing. Lighting a candle in the evening, reading a few pages from books that nourished my soul, practicing gratitude before sleeping — these simple acts became my anchors.
I stopped chasing perfection in my faith and allowed myself to show up imperfectly. Some days were deeply spiritual; others were just about surviving. And both were okay.
Finding Peace in a New Kind of Faith
Today, I won’t claim to have it all figured out. There are still days when I feel lost. But I’ve made peace with the idea that spiritual journeys aren’t meant to be constant upward climbs. They’re winding, unpredictable, and deeply personal.
I’ve found comfort in knowing that my faith can exist even in unfamiliar lands, that it can look different and still be meaningful. The UAE has its own spiritual energy — you just have to slow down enough to feel it.
Final Thoughts
Moving to the UAE taught me a lot about ambition, resilience, and opportunity. But perhaps its most unexpected lesson was about spirituality. About how easy it is to lose touch with yourself in a fast-paced world, and how important it is to actively create moments of stillness.
If you feel spiritually lost in a place that seems to have everything, know that you’re not alone. The journey back to yourself isn’t impossible. It’s waiting quietly, in small moments, in unexpected places, and in the gentle decision to pause.
And sometimes, being lost is the only way we truly find ourselves again.
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