Monthly Archives: January 2025
We are all familiar with anxiety, which is a natural part of our lives when it is an understandable response to a situation perceived as threatening, and not so strong that it prevents us from thriving in the real situation.
Before an exam or an important meeting, or in a competitive situation, we recognize the cause of our anxiety and can prepare for that we will be somewhat anxious. And if the experienced feeling and symptoms are not exaggerated, then we can accept this anxiety, since we know what caused it and also when it presumably goes away.
A problem arises though, when we know what presumably caused us to feel anxious, but the root cause does not cause anxiety in everyone, and we don’t understand why for us. Or if the experienced anxiety is too strong and hinders us in our tasks and our way of life. It’s even more depressing if we don’t even know clearly what its appearance and course depend on.
Several of my clients have reported that they can link the appearance of their anxiety to specific situations, e.g.: travel, but they don’t understand why they are so afraid of it, or they don’t know at all what it depends on, e.g., whether their anxiety will appear during a trip, and if so, how strong it will be.
They experience their excessive anxiety as coming from outside and thus cannot be influenced by them in any way.
Yet the key to understanding and managing our anxiety lies within us. Excessive and incomprehensible anxiety is often a very good indicator of the fact that we are so far removed from our own emotions that they can only manifest in such an extreme and exaggerated form.
It may happen that we bury painful emotions and experiences so deeply that in the end we no longer feel anything about the originally painful memories. Meanwhile, we believe that if we don’t feel the bad feelings, then they don’t exist anymore. But this is not so.
Unprocessed negative experiences work in us in the same way and demand more and more to be manifested. And if we don’t do anything with them for a long time and sweep them under the carpet, the many accumulated repressed feelings will manifest in an extreme and evasive way in the form of incomprehensible and strong anxiety, physical symptoms, dysfunctional behaviors, and difficulties in relationships and at work.
Thus, even if we try to protect ourselves from unpleasant experiences by not dealing with them, this strategy does not work in the long term and causes further problems, so it is worth taking the path of confronting and processing emotions in order to reduce our anxiety and symptoms.
In the empathic and accepting atmosphere I provide, I assist my clients in enhancing self-awareness, and developing more useful ways of functioning by using the various methods at my disposal (schema therapy, KIP therapy, Brainspotting, art therapy).
In addition to supporting my clients in seeing their difficulties and getting in touch with their long-repressed feelings, the consultations also lead to emotional processing of difficult experiences. This can bring relief and cessation of symptoms and healthier functioning.
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.
