Woman, 26, Cried Over Job Every Day and Developed Stress Rashes. She Moved Abroad to Be Happier — and Now Makes Double

“I finish work and I’ve got the whole evening — people [here] go to the beach and have BBQs with friends,” the woman said of her new life

NEED TO KNOW

• A woman moved from England to Sydney, Australia, seeking a better work-life balance and a fresh start
• Her long work hours and dark U.K. winters pushed her to make the move
• Now earning nearly double her previous salary, she said she’s happier and more balanced even though her transition wasn’t easy at first

A woman picked up her life and moved abroad to seek a better work-life balance — and she now makes nearly twice her old salary.

Wynter Yeomans of England moved to Sydney, Australia, with her partner, Luke Richards, in February 2025, per Kennedy News and Media.

Yeomans, 26, who works in marketing, said she first began thinking about living abroad after returning from a five-month trip to Southeast Asia in 2022.

"Coming home after traveling really made me realize how much bigger the world is than your hometown — meeting people and seeing different countries,” she said.

"As soon as I got back it was a shock to the system. When you're traveling you are doing so much and then you come home and everyone is doing the same thing,” she added.

Yeomans said she started considering the move more seriously when she realized just how much her situation — specifically the lack of work-life balance and dark U.K. winters — was affecting her mental health.

"I really struggled,” she recalled. “The first six months [back] were a dark place. I really struggled to get back to reality.”

Yeomans said she landed a corporate job, but she was miserable.

"I would cry every day at work and I was so stressed, I was breaking out in rashes. It was cold. It would be dark when I drove to and back from work,” she recalled.

"My mental health was not great. I love the sun so we had a good reason to push to leave,” she added.

Yeomans said that she and her partner decided to take the leap and relocate — a decision that she said was ultimately the best thing they could have done.

"I finish work and I've got the whole evening — people [here] go to the beach and have BBQs with friends,” she said while describing her experience with the culture in Sydney.

"There's a lot less focus on the weekend. People are out most of the weekdays. I feel like in the U.K., you live for the weekends,” she added.

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In addition to a more balanced life, Yeomans said she also makes more money now.

"In the U.K. I was [making] $34,000, and here I'm on $65,000 for an entry position,” she said.

Yeomans also said that while she now pays significantly more in rent because she no longer lives with her mother, she doesn't “bat an eyelid” about the increase.

"Things are so much cheaper here compared to the U.K. You can get coffee for $2.70. You have your happy hours and people eat out all the time,” she added.

However, Yeomans also stressed that the initial move wasn't as picturesque as it might seem from the outside.

"It's easy to see people on TikTok living amazing lives, [but] it took me three months to get my job,” she explained.

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"It can be really scary picking up your whole life and moving. Everything is so uncertain,” she added.

Yeomans went on to say that “you just have to trust the process.”

“You can try it, and if it doesn't work out you can go back home,” she added.

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