Mar 29 2009
Taking Care of Ourselves as Expats
This is a subject I have been thinking about a lot recently, both by reading other people’s blogs and from my own personal experience.
First of all, what are the reasons why we should take care of ourselves as expats?
- Moving overseas is a stressful experience. Often the stress continues for a long period. Not only do we have to organise many things before we leave our home country, we also have to arrange everything in our new environment. This can be even more stressful as we are unfamiliar with how things work. It is important that we take care of ourselves throughout the whole of this time because an extended period of stress can weaken our immune system and make us more susceptible to illness.
- Have you noticed that, in the first year or so of living in a new country, you pick up every minor illness that is going around? This is because expats are unused to the germs in the local environment and it takes a while to develop resistance to them. Unfortunately, the only way we can do this is to take care of ourselves and rest while getting over each illness. If we do this, we will be resistant to those germs when we encounter them again.
- Expats usually don’t have well-developed support networks of family and friends in their new countries, especially in the first year or so after moving abroad. This often means that you do not have many other people to rely on for help and so you have to do everything yourself. This can be stressful and tiring and can lead to a feeling of being low on energy if we take on too much. We need to take time out to replenish our energy levels, no matter what demands there are on our time.
- Often we have to take care of other people before ourselves. Of course, this is not only true of expats but it can be heightened by the expat experience, as we may not have anyone with whom we can leave our children while we go out for a meal with our husband or wife, for example. It is important that we try to find ways of giving ourselves a break from caring for others so that we can care more for ourselves, even if it is difficult given our current experience.
These are just some of the reasons why it is more important than ever to take care of ourselves as expats. I’m sure that there are more reasons - please let me know by leaving a comment. Next, I will look at the reasons why we may not take care of ourselves as expats.
You are so right. When I’ve been in a new place I long to meet a friend who has known me for more than two weeks. I long for the friendships I left behind. I know that new ones will come, but I’m impatient.
So, while you’re adjusting you still have your blogger friends.
Marilynne
Great post! It’s always important to take care of yourself, but when you’re living in a different country you have to be prepared for anything!
Hi Maxiegirl, I know exactly what you mean! I’m being a bit more patient here, as I know from experience that it takes time to meet people that you really ‘click’ with and then more time to build friendships. And, you’re right, I still have my blogger friends! Isn’t it great that we can be friends even though we’ve never met one another and live so far apart?
Hi Caregivingdaughter - Thanks! You’re right - living abroad seems to throw a lot more variables into the mix, making life more interesting!
Hi Romancing Italy - It’s definitely true about picking up illnesses more easily in a new country.
I can imagine that it is extremely difficult to communicate with a doctor in Italian and trying to figure out how the healthcare system works must be a nightmare. I have enough trouble trying to work things out in Australia and everything is in English! The main problem I find is that I seem to get different answers to the same question, depending on who I ask!