Culture shock and how to handle it

You worked for months to be able to move abroad. You saved money, you took long hours at work, you said your goodbyes and packed your life up. You took the trip and occupied your new home. Finally, you arrived. But as the days go by, everything feels new and strange – and just so tricky. You feel like an alien, and get stressed day after day from discovering more and more novelties. First it seemed fun – but after a few days it starts to be exhausting.

According to the American Psychological Association, culture shock is “loneliness, anxiety, confusion, and distress experienced by individuals or groups when they encounter or are exposed to a new or unfamiliar cultural environment or otherwise experience radical cultural change. For example, a student of Filipino descent studying at an American university may experience culture shock, as may a businessperson traveling abroad.”

When the new cultural experiences clash with the familiarity, you might feel stress or discomfort. You feel uneasy and just generally frustrated. That is the culture shock ☝🏼

It does not only appear when moving abroad – a holiday travel is enough, or just the change of your job. The catalyser is the clashing difference of what you know and what is new. Your mind and body feel it and you need to take action to get relief.

First of all, this feeling is completely NORMAL. When you move to a new country, you will need to adjust to new things. You will meet new norms, new values, new people and a new language – and this is just the top of the iceberg. Suddenly everything changes, and nothing feels familiar any more. Not even in your home or in your work. Wrapping your head around that takes time and effort.

When I arrived to Belgium, I was taken aback by the wide variety of different people and cultures present. Every time I left the flat, I heard languages I didn’t know and saw people with different styles and values. I lived abroad already for nearly 5 years, but the place was totally new and I did not have even the familiar markets and products I got to know in Czechia. Prague was super dog friendly and I met many dog owners every day. Here, some people go to the other side of the bus stop to avoid being close to me and my dog. And it took us weeks to figure out the regulations about dogs on public transport… I needed to get familiar with all the new food and the new behaviours I experienced here.

It took some time, but now I feel comfortable with everyday life in Belgium. I know where to go, what to expect and what to buy. And I am sure that if you use the steps from this post, you will be more comfortable in your new country too.

The thing is, culture shock is tricky, because many times we don’t even realize that we experience it. And often, this leads to the “crash” a few months after moving to a new country. (You don’t know what I mean by the “crash”? Read my post about the first year abroad.)

Let’s see these steps in more details

Stay curious

Look at the new things like they are a new book or a new type of candy. What can they teach you? How do they make you feel? What is it that you like or don’t like about them? Curiosity will turn the stressful “I don’t know anything” feeling into a fun learning experience. Try to keep an open mind and explore the new things further.

Listen inward

Take deep breaths and try to find where the stress is coming from. Do you miss your family traditions that differ from the local ones? Your feeling of right or wrong is troubled? Maybe you are afraid of failure or rejection? Or maybe you don’t really ‘get’ the behaviour of your new colleagues (aka different work styles)? Whatever it might be, try to find the source. The first step to acceptance is to face the reality.

Find the common ground

What are the things that seem familiar to you in the new place? How can you connect to the new things? Is there anything which reminds you of your previous home or experiences? Sometimes all you need is to find something you can relate to. Try matching every new thing with an old one and shift your focus from “what is different” to “what is familiar”. This will already ease the stress you feel.

Immerse yourself

Try the new food, connect to the “strange” people around you or go to an intensive language course. When you know the place better, the feeling of familiarity will arrive. Jumping in headfirst will make your integration process shorter and also will distract you from the discomfort of newness. Try to think like a local and explore more of what is around you – this way you both get more comfortable and gain new experiences.

Conquering these symptoms is not an one day task, but there are tools available for you to help. Do you want to learn more about culture shock and remedies? Listen to this podcast episode, where I was a guest speaker. We talked about our experiences abroad – coming from different countries and backgrounds, and what helped us.

You can also watch the episode in video format here:

Try one of the above steps or follow them in order to make your integration abroad easier 💙

If you found this helpful, share it with your friends to help them too 😎