Almost all ex-pats have experience of being ‘left behind’ and likely have just as many ways to cope with this as friends that they have lost. Interestingly, many ex-pats attest to experiencing loss many months before their friends leave. These experiences bring up a great many interesting issues from our childhoods including feelings of loss or abandonment, which can be particularly painful. But what can you actually do for yourself not to just survive these experiences but perhaps to thrive through them?