What are the Psychological Effects of Moving to Another Country?

A move to a new country can be exciting, rewarding, and life-changing. Living in a new environment can also be stressful, lonely, and scary. While many people focus on the rewarding side of moving abroad, it’s essential to prepare for the challenges everyone faces as they adjust to life away from their home country as an expat living abroad. Having helped move more than 20,000 people to over 100 countries worldwide, Orbit International Moving Logistics can help guide you on what to expect during a long-distance move and how to cope with the psychological effects of moving to another country.

An international move will alter nearly every aspect of a person’s life, creating change in their home, extended family life, professional or educational life, support system and social life. As the gravity of these changes sets in, it’s normal for someone to experience the phenomenon known as the expatriate adjustment cycle. It is also critical to understand that each member of your family may be experiencing these phases at a different rate as they adapt to live in a foreign country, so open communication and patience with yourself and others is key to a successful move.

The standard stages of the expatriate adjustment cycle are:

This occurs before the move and is often characterized by a mixture of excitement and anxiety surrounding the move. As everyone in your home will be adjusting to their new life shortly, it is helpful to go into the move prepared and work out as many logistics as possible in advance. This includes packing, hiring a reputable moving company, registering for schools, and finding appropriate accommodation.

You are looking at your move with rose-coloured glasses during this phase and are often busy unpacking a new job, and enjoying the best your new home has to offer. This doesn’t allow much time to think about what you’ll miss most about home. This stage usually lasts for a few weeks and is a good time to use this burst of energy to set some groundwork (such as registering for extracurricular activities and routines of things you love) to help you adjust when the new shiny feeling surrounding your move begins to wear off.

During the culture shock stage, what was once novel and exciting may begin to feel tiresome and frustrating. This can include language barriers, needing to understand public transit, or simply missing the routine, friends, and family. The reality of the move shifts from an extended vacation to your real new life, and that can be a lot to take in. This stress can manifest in the form of mental health issues, including headaches, digestive issues, problems sleeping, anxiety, feelings of imposter syndrome or low self-esteem, and even depression.

For most, this feeling only lasts for a few weeks and usually starts around the third month following a move, but it can be helpful to use this time to connect with a longer-term expat who understands your experience to help you through this time. It is also key to keep an open line of communication with your family members who may be experiencing this phase more intensely or longer than others.

Some milestones to strive toward to better assimilate include committing to learning the native language (and possibly meeting other newcomers during in-person language classes), learning which local product brands you love and can substitute for what you used to use back home, meeting new people and building new friendships, experiencing new foods, tastes, and cultural experiences.

Homesickness can be tended to by keeping in regular contact with those back home while simultaneously working on building a support network around you. Focus on productive and healthy coping mechanisms such as regular exercise and hobbies, instead of relying on vices like alcohol or seeking out prolonged solitude to help ease into your new home.

This is when you start getting comfortable with your surroundings and developing routines. You should no longer feel the same sky-high feelings from the honeymoon period, but also not the same lows as during the culture shock phase. It is worth mentioning that it is very typical to experience some lonely moments.

Moves are most successful for those who prioritize self-care and seek out help, such as maintaining contact with a trusted therapist (which is much easier to do nowadays thanks to the advent of virtual meeting tools).

Many experts recommend that those who have moved away from home, avoid returning for at least six months to better establish themselves in their new homes, and instead offer to host family and friends in your new home for the first while.

For those who have been on a temporary move, returning home can be just as, if not more, challenging than the initial move outside of the country. This is often because people assume that it is going to be easy. Colleagues, bosses, and loved ones may be indifferent to your life and experiences abroad. Both children and adults may have both grown apart from friends and family members during a move, and children who have been away for a big chunk of their lives may not remember what life was like “back home”.