Moving abroad: Psychological difficulties and coping strategies in brief
Moving abroad offers exciting opportunities, but the experience is often not without psychological difficulties. As a psychologist who helps with the problems of people moving abroad and those already living abroad, I think it is important that future expats or people living abroad who are already experiencing difficulties are aware of these challenges and prepare to deal with them.
During the process of moving and fitting in, many psychological factors play a role, which will affect emotional well-being. One of the most common difficulties is culture shock, which results from a sudden change in the cultural environment. Culture shock as defined by Oberg (1960) includes feelings such as confusion, frustration and loneliness. In the new environment, many people experience that they lose not only their security routines, but also the well-known rules of social interaction, which can cause uncertainty and anxiety.
In addition, the lack of social support also has a significant impact on mental health. During integration in a new country, it often happens that ties at home loosen, one loses some of one’s old friendships and finds it difficult to form new ones. According to research, social support is strongly related to psychological well-being. Not having a support system can increase the risk of anxiety and depression, so it’s important to actively seek out new connections, be it local communities or expat groups.
The integration process affects not only social relationships, but also personal identity. Moving often forces us to reevaluate our own identities, roles, and place in the world. Identity crisis is not a rare phenomenon among expats, which can lead to a decrease in self-esteem (Schwartz et al., 2010). As a treatment for this, it is important to actively work on strengthening our own identity, for example by reinterpreting our national and family traditions and adapting them to the new situation, incorporating elements of the local culture and developing our self-knowledge and activating our inner resources, even with the help of art therapy, KIP therapy or other creative coaching techniques.
In addition to all of this, we must also mention that in connection with moving abroad, our previous anxieties, problems or traumas that have not been worked on until now may resurface, which we should expect in any long-lasting, mentally taxing situation such as the challenges that moving abroad entails.
From the above, it can be seen that due to the significant tensions, the use of stress management techniques may be essential when coping with the challenges of life abroad. Mindfulness, yoga and meditation can help reduce anxiety and focus on the present moment.
Physical activity, such as sports or dancing, can also contribute to mental well-being by stimulating the production of endorphins, which increase feelings of happiness, as well as being an opportunity to make new social connections.
Spending time in nature, reconnecting with nature, whether regular walks or excursions, or integrating a more conscious eco-psychological approach into our lives, also has a positive effect on stress management and state of mind.
Finally, it is important to emphasize that the experience of moving abroad is individual, everyone experiences it differently, so not everyone has the same challenges. Despite the difficulties and challenges, those living abroad for a longer or shorter period of time mostly report that the experience made them more open and receptive, broadened their perspective and overall enriched them in many areas of life.
However, if someone feels that the difficulties are too great to cope with alone, it is worth contacting a professional who can provide support in the integration process.
The experience of moving abroad is therefore a complex psychological process that requires consideration and conscious preparation. At the same time, the conscious work invested in dealing with difficulties can help ensure that life abroad offers not only challenges, but also positive experiences and opportunities for development.
If I can help with this, feel free to contact me at erna.adamko@gmail.com.