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Travel always means adventure and broadening horizons. But what does it look like for someone who is not only embarking on a journey but also on a temporary transfer abroad or a completely new start? 

In this article, I talk about expat depression and how to deal with it. Because guess what, I’ve been there myself!

Risk for psychological complications

People who go to new countries for several years as part of an expat experience, as well as those who decide to migrate to other countries, are all prepared to risk a much greater degree of loss of control. 

Recent studies in America have shown that expatriates are 2.5 times more likely to suffer from mental health problems such as anxiety disorders, depression or addiction. Due to a generally noticeable tendency to internalise psychological conflicts that arise in the context of migration experiences, frustration builds up and the problems ultimately develop more frequently

Why such kind of complications increase?

How are they different to the person who stayed living at home? 

Losing stability

It must be mentioned here that psychologically, migration always means a combination of events. On the one hand, when you move to another country, you lose things that give you stability, such as friends and family. People who stand by you when things get tough and help you in crises.

Because even if nowadays, thanks to the internet,  you can stay in touch with each other much better than in the past, it is a completely different feeling to have those who are important to you relatively and spontaneously available and close at hand in difficult moments. 

Expats statistics

Cultural differences

Moreover, other countries always mean other ways and traditions. Forms of communication and the so-called “common sense” are relatively different from culture to culture. This also represents an increased risk of misunderstandings and social complications of various degrees. 

An expat person simply needs a certain amount of time to be able to understand the ways things work. Experiences of frustration are therefore the norm at this stage and, in some respects, ultimately unavoidable. 

Language barrier

Last but not least, the expat or migration experience still stands for a certain degree of personal dependency. Particularly due to the language skills already acquired, the migrant will more often or less often find himself in situations where he/she will have to ask other people for help or assistance

This may not seem so dramatic at first. However, if it accumulates in everyday life, it can trigger a feeling of helplessness or even regressive phenomena. One feels disabled in such situations and some might feel like a child again. 

The chronic tension typical of anxiety or the shyness that often develops more and more in human interactions are then consequences of the so-called “fear”. 

Expats statistics

How to deal with expat depression?

So what can you do to soften growing mental crises abroad? 

1. Regular physical exercise

It should be mentioned here that regular exercise is helpful in the case of both anxiety and depression. In the case of anxiety, continuous physical activity helps to reduce hypervigilance, at least to a certain extent. 

So instead of lying on the sofa in front of the TV and not getting up, get more active. For example, go swimming, take a yoga class, draw or play football.

In the case of depression, physical activity has a revitalising effect and is helpful against the loss of drive that is all too typical here. 

2. Banish grey clouds

Our thoughts can often go round in circles and make a situation seem worse than it is. It helps if you try to look at the stressful situation from the outside, with a neutral eye. For example, talk about it with other people or write down your thoughts on paper.

3. Strengthen your self-confidence

A lot depends on how you see yourself. If you generally think of yourself as a failure, stressful situations are more likely to affect you. It is best to try to banish the inner critic from your mind and replace it with a more positive approach. Look at your successes and believe in yourself!

4. Learn from mistakes

Instead of being upset because you did something wrong, analyse your mistakes and think about how you could improve your actions.

5. Make friends and get socially involved

Social bonds and activity with an emotional meaning give a breath of fresh air.

6. Get enough sleep

Get proper rest. Easier said than done when you toss and turn from side to side at night. It often helps to read a book before going to bed. The movement of reading makes your eyes tired, a screen (even the small one on a mobile phone) tends to keep you awake. A walk before bed can also help.

7. Structured activities 

If you start to feel a decline in your general mood, it can also be helpful to first perform several simple, structured activities such as cleaning or doing the laundry. 

8. Going out more to the public spaces

To counteract the increasingly strong shyness towards human interaction, it can be helpful to consciously venture out into public spaces again and again and sit down in a café, for example, instead of becoming more and more isolated in one’s own four walls. 

9. Avoiding stimulating substances

If one suffers from anxiety disorders, it can also be advantageous to temporarily abstain from stimulating substances such as nicotine, caffeine or sugary food and drinks. 

10. Practicing mindfulness

Mindfulness helps us to focus on the present and current moment. You do not need to be in a certain place, have any equipment or undergo special training to be mindful. All you have to do is be aware of your body and immediate surroundings, and focus on feeling your feet on the ground, on what you see, and on your breathing. Let thoughts come and go as you concentrate on breathing in and out.

Taking five to ten minutes a day to do this activity has been proven to help regulate our thoughts, improve empathy and resilience. Regular use of mindfulness techniques can help expatriate mental health in stress at work and acclimatisation to a new culture.

Conclusion

A combination of sufficient physical exercise, a well-structured daily routine and constant working with yourself help to restore one’s mental balance. It can help us get back into shape faster and thus shorten unnecessary suffering.

Each of us carries our mental baggage with us, which we have collected in the course of our lives. Depending on our past and above all on the extent to which our self-worth was promoted by our closest personal environment in childhood and adolescence, we are better or worse able as adults to compensate for such moments of crisis. 

So we can see that on the one hand, expat life or migration to a different country offers the chance of new experiences and adventure. At the same time, however, there are also several challenges from a psychological point of view. It is therefore important to be aware of these potential stumbling blocks. 

And if you notice one or two warning signs in yourself, don’t wait too long. OneMindZone wellness coaching might help you in these matters. Schedule your free session now.

 

Recourses:

https://www.internations.org/expat-insider/ 

 

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