Have you recently moved to the city to pursue a new career opportunity? Are you excited about the new experience but also noticing some personal reactions to it that might be surprising for you? Have you started feeling down, homesick, anxious, frequently worried or frustrated? The expat experience can be both exciting and rewarding, but it also comes with its unique challenges.
The expat term describes a complex phenomenon that is considered different from the immigrant experience in the fact that expats usually are highly specialized professionals with a particular set of characteristics that move abroad for temporary work and life experience. Perhaps this is true for you?
If you are part of this group of individuals you are most probably inclined to adopt a global mindset, feeling part of an international, intercultural environment. This is a very interesting mindset. However, research studies have shown so far that expats go through high levels of stress that can lead to different psychological and psychosocial problems (anxiety, adjustment and affective disorders, marital issues, substance abuse, etc.) so they have a higher overall risk for mental health problems than those living in their home country.
What a Therapist Wants You to Know About Expat Mental Health Support
As a former expat, I experienced the excitement of a new lifestyle while also facing the high demand for adjustment, but I was not fully aware of this second aspect until later. My energy at that time was focused on “absorbing” the new system, understanding, learning, doing… The fact that the expat arrives in the country with a job position and some advantages doesn’t mean everything is done and ready. The company I worked for provided partial support but there was a lot to do and decisions to make without enough knowledge of the complex system I was getting into, and not much time for anything that was not related to settling in. I really enjoyed the experience but can’t say it was easy.
The expat experience is usually defined by high motivation around the opportunity of arriving at a new place, starting a new period in life, getting to know a new city/country and developing professionally. Excitement can take the lead and facilitates all the necessary effort to get the experience started so rarely expats present significant anticipatory concerns about how this is going to affect their mental health or the one of their loved ones.
However, as professionals, expats are faced with a competitive work environment in which they are newbies when compared with their local co-workers. They usually arrive at a high pace, high competitive situation without having comprehensive knowledge of the new system. Besides, there are expectations about their performance that they will try to meet right away, without much time to adjust. All this can bring a high level of stress to their lives very fast, which can be a shock to the system. Having the right support and being as prepared as possible can make all the difference in navigating challenges with confidence and ease. In my work with clients adjusting to life abroad, expat mental health support is a key focus. Read on to explore insights and practical strategies to help you better manage the demands of expat life.
Moving abroad is exciting, but it comes with challenges—having the right support can make all the difference.
Practical Strategies for Emotional Resilience Abroad
In my case, only now do I realize how important it would have been to have more comprehensive support from the company that hired me. For example, receiving training prior to arrival to facilitate the overall experience and help me make better decisions. Unsurprisingly, the more you know about the new system, the better you will be able to navigate new situations.
Here are some helpful tips to consider as you embark on your expat experience:
- Don’t hesitate to negotiate with your company for more comprehensive support that can start from your home country.
- Connecting with colleagues and educating yourself about the challenges you will face will help you feel more prepared and resilient. By anticipating potential situations you will gain a clearer understanding of what to expect.
I frequently see posts from expats-to-be trying to understand the school system for their children, or the housing situations, etc. Establishing contact with other people that have gone through the same experience can be extremely helpful. Other expats can become a very good community to be part of but usually having experts prepping you (previous to moving and after) for what the system will request from you and give you can be really life changing, and, if it is possible, a combination of both resources would be ideal.
- Start contacting other expats even before you arrive. If you are already in the country, it is never too late for that.
- Hire good consultants about important aspects of your situation (such as tax system, etc.) is money well spent. You want to be informed and avoid learning through “rumors”.
An important percentage of expats start this journey accompanied by their loved ones (partners, and sometimes their children) and this means having to coordinate changes in many aspects of every component of the family at the same time.
Having the right support and being as prepared as possible can help expats navigate challenges with confidence and ease.
A cross-cultural adjustment will be necessary. This is a process that you will go through as soon as you arrive in your new country and need to get to know the new culture and function in it. However, as an expat, you usually start living and working in an environment that you are not familiar with. This brings multiple factors into play at the same time, which can make the process of adjusting even more challenging.
One way of thinking about this process is by breaking it down into three parts. (Black & Stephens, 1989): First, is a general adjustment , which means getting used to everyday things like housing, healthcare, and other services in the new culture. Then, there’s the work adjustment, where the person adapts to the new job environment, including learning new systems, roles, tasks, and getting along with co-workers. Finally, there’s the interaction adjustment which is about building social networks and finding ways to communicate and connect with people in the new culture. Once the expatriate experiences familiarity and psychological comfort in these three areas, they are considered adjusted to the foreign culture. This adjustment is really important for their overall well-being and helps them function better in their new environment.
Having this in mind, we can think of factors that can be important influencing the adjustment abroad: the lack of preparation and support before, during, and after the job assignment starts, the language differences, the general expectations, etc. are some of them but the main factor influencing the expat success has been found to be the partners’ experience. Expats’ partners often find themselves lacking the support and activity level their partner has (through their company, coworkers, professional status, etc.). Loneliness and lack of personal meaning can put a strain on family life and a potentially enriching experience can become something completely different and be felt as limiting.
My top tips for safeguarding expat mental health support and a smooth transition:
- Have in mind that receiving support for your family members before and at the arrival is as important as your own support. You might be really busy and managing so many aspects, so the more structure that’s already in place, the better.
- Join local clubs and new social activities; explore the same passions you enjoyed back home in your new country.
- Make sure to carve out quality time for self-care and family care.
Thriving as an expat means preparing for the challenges as much as the opportunities.
How Psychotherapy Can Support Your Expat Journey and Personal Growth
By looking at the adjustment process this way, I want to emphasize the complexity of it. After going through it myself I firmly believe that being an expat is an amazing experience. You can still go through this experience with a positive mind while knowing that this is a powerful experience that affects us at so many levels and may come with its challenges. Having in mind the big picture can help you be proactive in preparing for what is going to come. When you want to be successful in something you prepare for it: when you want to run a marathon you get into training, buying appropriate shoes, maybe joining some running group, etc. This is another of these situations in which you want to be as prepared as possible.
Being an expat is a powerful and transformative experience, but it’s essential to approach it with the right mindset and preparation to truly thrive.
Having weekly psychotherapy was not something I looked for intentionally as part of my preparation for moving to a new country. I had it as part of my training and professional path, and it was in my life since my arrival in the new country. I experienced it from that perspective initially. Only after some time did I realize how much it helped me with all the challenges I found in my new country. By processing every situation right as it happened, I could take care of myself right away and make healthy choices.
For this reason, as a therapist I typically recommend Incorporating psychotherapy as a weekly space for your health and personal growth will help you make sure you take care of yourself at every step. Psychotherapy can be a great support during this amazing experience, but it’s important to use all of the support and preparation available to make things easier and better for you. There are so many resources out there, so I encourage you to take advantage of them in a way that is meaningful for you.
As a therapist with extensive experience working with expats, I understand the unique challenges that come with adjusting to a new culture, and I’m here to help you through it. If this resonates, feel free to reach out to me for a complimentary consultation today. I’m looking forward to meeting you!
