Cultural Adjustment After An International Move: How To Deal With Culture Shock?

Have you ever been to a different country from where you were born and raised? What was your first reaction when you saw their way of life? The anxious and overwhelming feelings that rushed through your body when you saw something that was a norm there but was strange to you is called culture shock. While light culture shock may make you feel uncomfortable for a short while, more severe culture shock can lead to homesickness or even make you eager to return home. What can you do to avoid this?

Preparing Yourself For Culture Shock 

If you are planning an international removal or you've already made the move, learning about culture shock and how to handle it will help you adapt faster and more efficiently in your new home. First, you must understand the phases of culture shock.

It Starts With The Honeymoon 

The funny thing about culture shock is that it doesn't usually happen immediately when you get to a new location. From day one to day fourteen or fifteen, you may be full of hope, excitement, enthusiasm, and curiosity about your new home. You will want to explore new places, try the local food, and interact with the locals. It's usually fun and satisfying but things start taking a turn after the next stage.

You Try Negotiating 

After the first two weeks of feeling hope and excitement, the reality that you have left your family, friends, and everything you've ever known sets in quickly. At this point, you start feeling a little frustrated, homesick, confused, lonely, and irritable. The cultural differences will become obvious and you will start comparing everything you are seeing now to how things were in your home. Whether you stay or go back depends on how you handle this stage and the next one.

You Attempt To Adjust 

Within six to twelve weeks of staying in your new home, you will try your best to adapt to the new culture. You must train your mind to let go of the frustration and irritation you feel and make an effort to understand the norms and customs of your new home. Afterall, you will be starting a new life there so you have to come to terms with the system sooner or later. It is the only way you can feel more confident and comfortable. Adjusting will also make you more interested in meeting new people and establishing reliable connections.

Enjoy Full Integration

After the first three months, you start integrating into the new culture. At this point, you should have found a way to navigate the differences and similarities between your home culture and the new one. You will move around more confidently, feel at home, hang out with friends, and feel more mentally stable about the home.

How To Deal With Culture Shock

Now you understand the stages of culture shock, you have some insight into your emotions. While experts came up with these timelines, there are no hard and fast rules about how each person will react to culture shock. There are some tips that can help you deal with culture shock more effectively as you'll see below:

Research Before The Move 

One factor that can make culture shock extremely overwhelming is moving to a new country without proper research. In the excitement of starting a new life in a foreign country, you may forget to research thoroughly about the way of life of the people in that country. Learning some of the local norms ahead of the move is one great way to prepare your mind and reduce shock when you get there.

Embrace Your Emotions 

Culture shock is normal and it happens to almost everyone who relocates to a new place. So, don't think something is wrong with you anytime you get feelings of frustration or confusion. You are fine. Embrace the process instead of fighting it. Reassure yourself that it is only temporary and you would eventually adjust to the language barriers and cultural differences.

Focus On The Positive 

No matter how different your new home is compared to your old country, there will be certain positive sides of things. Rather than focusing on all the things you feel your new country is doing wrong, focus on the positive only. Also, keep an open mind about the people, the language, and the food. You can invest time in learning a new language or trying out new food.

Immerse Yourself in the Local Culture

If you don't want to keep feeling weird or feeling like a guest in your new home, you need to immerse yourself in the local culture. Accept the reality that you are no longer in your home country and can't expect everything to be the same. Attend cultural events, visit cultural centers, and interact with the people. This will help you feel more connected and less isolated.

Create Your Tribe

In your home country, you probably had a group of close family and friends who made up your social network. Now that you are in a new location, you need to start creating your tribe immediately. Making new friends will help you feel support and a sense of belonging. You can search for people with similar interests on online forums or in-person cultural events.

Prioritize Your Well-being 

Relocating internationally can be physically and mentally overwhelming and culture shock makes things even worse. This isn't the time to neglect your health and well-being. Instead, develop a self-care routine that involves meditating, sleeping, working out, and eating healthy food.

Seek Professional Help

If you've tried all the tips on this article and you still can't shake the feelings of culture shock, the next way forward is to reach out to a professional. There are local counselors or therapists who specialize in helping people with cultural transitions. They will offer the support you need to navigate the entire process.

Conclusion

Relocating to another country can be an amazing experience that opens the door to new opportunities. However, extreme feelings of culture shock can quickly drain the feelings of excitement and replace it with feelings of confusion and sadness. By learning about culture shock, you will be in a better position to navigate the move.

Disclaimer: This article is part of sponsored content programme. The Tribune is not responsible for the content including the data in the text and has no role in its selection.