What is emigrant syndrome?

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Five phases of adaptation

Most emigrants go through five stages of adaptation: from euphoria and interest in a new country to depression and denial of this experience. This process is called "immigrant syndrome". For the first time, the “emigrant syndrome” was described by the American psychologist Harry Triandis.

Euphoria (a few days to six weeks)

Moving anxiety is over, you can calm down and relax. There are no global plans for the new place yet, no clashes with the new culture either.

Tourist phase (from two weeks to two to three months)

Blind euphoria passes. A person begins to realize the situation and study the people around him, notice cultural differences and feel the language barrier. Fresh memories of his native country and the reasons for moving still remain in his head, there is motivation to cope with difficulties.

Orientation phase (a couple of months)

An emigrant has to integrate into the local society, make new acquaintances, understand social, political, economic and administrative issues. Due to the lack of experience in these conditions, he has many failures, an unfamiliar environment and new experience take a lot of moral and physical strength. The person is under constant stress and psychologically vulnerable.

Depressive phase (from a month to several years)

Psychological protection is activated due to separation from the family, language barrier, discrimination, problems with documents or finances. A person tends to avoid communication with the locals, to isolate himself from culture and new experiences. Some may decide to return to their home country.

Here is what can happen to a person in this phase:

• Panic attacks and anxiety
• Outbursts of anger and aggression
• migraine, irritability
• Pain in the neck and back
• Low self-esteem
• Insomnia and nightmares
• Apathy
• Inability to talk about moving
• The emergence or exacerbation of alcohol, nicotine or drug addiction

If any condition from the list lasts more than a week, it is worth contacting specialists, as the lack of support and psychological assistance can lead to psychological disorders.

Active phase

The more actively a person makes new acquaintances, studies the local language and culture of a new country, the faster he will be able to move to this stage - without socialization, an emigrant will never adapt.

You should not reduce the number of past connections, so as not to lose the social environment. Friends and relatives will help to cope with experiences. If you have an urgent need for communication, you should not meet hundreds of new people at once. Enough one or two people with whom you can maintain regular contact.

How long will it be bad?

It takes about a year to adapt to a new country. The trauma of emigration does not remain for life, the psyche adapts pretty soon, and the stress ends.

What if you return home?

Returning emigrants will have to go through reverse adaptation, or reverse culture shock - that is, the same phases of the emigrant syndrome. The joy of returning can quickly pass when a person notices how his native country and his loved ones have changed during his absence.

How to live the trauma of emigration?

The reaction of the psyche to a dramatically changed way of life is called the trauma of emigration. Moving naturally becomes a source of anxiety and uncertainty. Therefore, you can start preparing for emigration in advance, if there is such an opportunity: start learning the language, study culture and traditions, look for new connections, think over the stages of moving, and so on.

If you had to leave suddenly, then you need some time to rest and recover. It is important not to close yourself and your family, but also to study the surrounding space and equip a new place of residence.

For those who rarely changed their lifestyle before, it is worth keeping at least part of the routine. Routine activities like walking your dog will help you ground yourself. You also need to take care of yourself: choose delicious food, make small pleasant purchases like ice cream or some little things. This all helps to reduce the level of anxiety and stress at first.

What self-help techniques can be used?

Fear, anxiety, apathy, despair are mental signals about the lack of strength and resources to overcome the load. It is important not to devalue your feelings, but to give yourself time to experience emotions and rest.

You need to choose self-help techniques based on what you are experiencing.

Apathy and lack of strength can be the result of moral exhaustion. In this case, take the time to take care of yourself. Daily light exercise, walks, warm-ups with no load and big goals will help restore strength to life. Read as little news as possible.

Grounding techniques will help if panic and anxiety have arisen. You can practice the square breathing technique - inhale, pause, exhale, pause, at intervals of about 7-8 seconds. You can also refer to the 5-4-3-2-1 technique:

• Find five things to fix your eyes on
• Touch four things and focus on how you feel
• Find three sounds and listen to them,
• Focus on two scents
• Try some food or drink and concentrate on its taste.

It does not take more than five minutes, but it helps to calm down and perceive the world objectively again.

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