Dr. Valerie A.G. Ventureyra, PhD is a Clinical Psychologist and Cognitive-Behavioural & EMDR Psychotherapist with an established private practice in Paris, France and online. Her clinical expertise is in expat adaptation, trauma, burn-out, anxiety and mood disorders, and she consults in English, French and Spanish.
Are you an expat? Or are you thinking of moving abroad soon to pursue a professional opportunity, a relationship or a lifelong dream? How much do you know about the different phases that expats typically go through in their journey? Knowing the Expat Adjustment Cycle, which we will explore in this article, may be useful. Some tips for adjusting to your new environment and context will facilitate your expat adventure and help you to find fulfilment in it.
Living in a globalized world
International mobility is becoming more common in our world for a variety of reasons: faster and more frequent transportation, greater openness to the world through a change in mentality, the internet and the advent of remote work, which has become much more common and accepted since the Covid crisis. According to the International Organization for Migration’s (IOM) 2020 World Migration Report, International Migrants (individuals presently residing outside of the country in which they were born, including refugees, migrant workers and expats) represent 3.6% of the world population, amounting to about 281 million individuals. The population of international migrants has doubled since the 1990’s. Expats, specifically, represent about 1% of the world population, according to the Finnaccord Expatriate base.
What is an expat?
Traditionally, the term “expat” referred to employees who have been sent by their employer (a multinational company or government) to another country for an extended period of time. While this definition is still valid, in today’s world many more situations can lead to expatriation: digital nomadism (remote working while travelling or staying for an extended length of time in a foreign country), pursuit of higher studies or language learning, retirees seeking better weather (“Snowbirds”– Canadians moving to Florida or Mexico, or Northern Europeans moving to Spain or other Mediterranean destinations during the Winter months or more permanently), pursuit of a romantic relationship (occasionally after meeting through the internet), passion for a country or culture, or even to escape a toxic family situation. Regardless of the motivations leading to becoming an expat, it is likely that you will go through different phases of adaptation during your journey abroad.
The 5 phases of the expat adjustment cycle
There are five phases in the Expat Adjustment Cycle, that was initially described by a Canadian anthropologist, Karlevo Oberg (1954): Preparation, Honeymoon, Culture Shock, Adaptation and Flourishing. The first three phases can last from a weeks up to a few months, typically. The last two phases tend to be longer term.
1. Preparation
In the Preparation phase, you are getting ready to pursue your new project, your dream of moving abroad. There are practical concerns that will keep you busy in the months and weeks preceding your move: finding housing, learning the language, paperwork, such as obtaining a visa or work permit, and if moving with a spouse/ partner, and/ or children, concerns about looking into their activities/ schooling. All of these situations can be quite stressful and make you feel overwhelmed.
This is also the phase during which you can easily daydream about the new country, culture and lifestyle that awaits. If the expatriation you are anticipating is a lifelong dream, or even if it is not, but you are posted to a country that appeals to you, you may find yourself fantasizing about your new life, the stimulating novelty, the local cuisine, the new encounters, and end up idealizing it. It is important to project yourself positively into such a life changing experience, while remaining grounded in the present and being realistic about the upcoming adventure.
2. Honeymoon
In this phase, shortly after your arrival in your expat destination, you will be enthusiastic and stimulated by the novelty of your surroundings: new customs, a new language and expressions, a different architecture and monuments to discover, an exotic gastronomy, perhaps. There is so much to discover and enjoy! The enthusiasm and energy stemming from so much novelty and adventure can help you get beyond your usual limitations and expand beyond your comfort zone. This is a good time to explore your new surroundings, familiarize yourself with local customs, enjoy the new lifestyle and sign up for activities to meet and connect with locals and fellow expats.
3. Culture shock
After a few weeks or months in the new country, the enchantment of novelty and the excitement of discovery tends to wear down, just as frustration with adjustment to new customs and longing for one’s home culture build up. This contrast in perceptions and feelings is known as the Culture Shock phase. At this point, people tend to feel an emotional and psychological disorientation in the new environment, while having difficulty navigating daily life, communicating effectively in the local language and understanding cultural norms. This can be quite mentally tiring and emotionally draining. It is quite common for feelings of frustration, of rejection and even hostility toward the host country and its inhabitants to build up at this point, and this can lead to isolation, feeling misunderstood, and even helpless.
At this stage, you may also tend to focus attention on the differences between the new culture and your home culture, which can lead to feelings of nostalgia and homesickness. Appreciation of novel experiences and norms, which were at the forefront during the Honeymoon phase, is minimized. Anxiety, high stress levels, disappointment, discouragement and loneliness can be common at this point. And all of this is absolutely normal in the first few months of expatriation. It is also important to note that this phase is temporary and transitory. Some tips can help you to cope better with this most challenging phase of the Expat Adjustment Cycle.
4. Adaptation
A few months into the expatriation experience, at about six to twelve months, and following the Culture Shock phase, you will begin to feel more comfortable in your new surroundings, slowly adapting to the novel customs and lifestyle, accepting the differences in cultural norms with more ease and developing coping strategies to deal with difficulties, which may, of course, still occur in a more measured manner. At this point you will likely also have more social connections, both local and expat, have improved language skills and gained a deeper understanding of and greater appreciation for the host culture.
5. Flourishing
After the Adaptation phase in which you have learned to navigate between two cultures, possibly two languages, you may now begin to feel more than just adjusted, perhaps even “bicultural” and you can even be thriving from your expat journey. You clearly recognize the advantages of both your native culture and those of the new one and can switch from one to the other or even assimilate the best of both worlds, when appropriate. However, this is especially a phase to recognize and celebrate your expat journey and all of the lessons learned, challenges overcome and personal and interpersonal skills acquired or enhanced over time.
7 tips for adaptation and flourishing as an expat
1. Give yourself some time for “intercultural preparation”
In the Preparation phase, it is important to project yourself in your future surroundings and new culture, even before leaving home or your current place of residence. Identify one action that you could take toward “intercultural preparation”: sign up for a language class, buy a book about the new country (history, novel, customs), watch a movie or documentary about your new country, and take a step toward this goal.
2. Start relaxation training or mindfulness meditation
In the Preparation phase, but also in subsequent phases, you may feel quite stressed and overwhelmed by the number of issues to address before departure, or the challenges of life in a new culture and language, once you have arrived in your new environment. Two ways of managing stress, anxiety and feelings of being overwhelmed are practicing Relaxation, particularly Jacobson’s Progressive Muscle Relaxation, which is a time-proven technique recommended in the course of Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy (CBT) for anxiety disorders, typically having short-term and long-term benefits when practiced regularly, and then there is Mindfulness Meditation. Mindfulness meditation has been used in stress-management protocols, such as MBSR (Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction) for people with severe anxiety and difficulty managing stress, for decades. It has also been studied by neuroimaging techniques and proven to change brain structures linked to attention and emotional regulation in favourable ways, when practiced regularly. Mindfulness meditations can be relatively short (from five to twenty minutes) and contribute to a greater awareness of one’s surroundings and bodily sensations, slowing down ruminations stemming from anxiety and attenuating the physical symptoms of stress.
3. Explore your new surroundings
Make a list of five to ten experiences/ places to visit over the next few weeks in your new town/ country: museums, local restaurants, historical monuments , a new hobby or activity to try and take action! This exercise may best be practiced in the Honeymoon phase, as enthusiasm, curiosity and willingness to explore are already quite high. However, it may also be interesting to continue exploring your new surroundings throughout your expat journey, and particularly in the Culture Shock phase so that you connect to some positivity about your expat experience during this challenging phase, during which negative judgments may be at the forefront.
4. Journal about your expat journey
Journal about your journey as an expat, about the pleasant experiences and stimulating discoveries you make during the Honeymoon phase, as well as on the differences that you notice with home, and the difficulties you are experiencing in the Culture Shock phase (or at other times). Journaling is always a helpful process to remind ourselves to focus on the positive that exists in our environment (which we tend to minimize when we feel overwhelmed or stressed) and to help us process our difficulties, to move beyond them and gain clarity on our situation when we are struggling.
Journaling is a powerful tool, in therapy, as in life. In CBT, clients are encouraged to journal as part of the therapeutic process, and its virtues have been studied scientifically.
5. Find a “cultural mentor”
Navigating a major life change is more difficult alone. Sometimes finding someone who has already been through similar challenges, a fellow expat who has been in the country longer and is further on the expat journey, can facilitate your own adaptation process and provide support in the Culture Shock phase. A local person could also be your cultural mentor to refer to when confronted with cryptic customs, behaviours and expressions in your new land.
6. Get involved in community life or expat circles
Once you are settled in your new life, and feelings of loneliness, isolation and homesickness arise, particularly during the Culture Shock phase, it will be crucial to make new connections for your expat experience to be a success. Perhaps you would “do as the locals do” and wish to volunteer in some association or charity, or learn a new skill or practice a hobby or sport in a group setting. These could be great places to meet locals that you may not encounter otherwise, and maybe even develop new friendships. It may also be a good idea to connect with other expats. Nowadays it is quite easy to find expat groups organizing get-togethers and a variety of cultural activities in cities throughout the world. It is often easier to connect with and deepen relationships with fellow expats than with locals, who are already well-surrounded by friends and family and have difficulty relating to the challenges of expatriation.
7. Celebrate your expat journey
Once you are settled in your new surroundings, and are well engaged in the Adaptation phase, you can start to acknowledge your journey, the challenges that you have overcome and the lessons learned. You can now celebrate and take pride in the personal and interpersonal skills acquired or enhanced over time: a new language, a culturally-specific hobby, cultural competence, empathy, open-mindedness, resilience, patience, flexibility, self-compassion, courage. You can also look to the future and establish some new skills, habits and competencies that will enhance your expat journey.
Are you planning an expat journey soon? Or are you struggling as an expat?
Whether you are planning on moving abroad soon, for a professional or academic opportunity, to pursue a lifelong dream, or any other reason, and find this frightening, or you already are an expat but are struggling in your new environment, with feelings of isolation, homesickness, rejection of the new culture, but would like to learn how to cope better with the challenges of being an expat, and even thrive from the experience, then visit my website and contact me for a counselling session or to begin a short, solution-focused therapy. There is no reason to suffer through this alone. Expatriation should be a rewarding and enriching experience!
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Read more from Dr. Valerie A.G. Ventureyra
Dr. Valerie A.G. Ventureyra, Clinical Psychologist & CBT/EMDR Psychotherapist
Dr. Valerie A.G. Ventureyra, PhD is a Clinical Psychologist and Cognitive-Behavioural & EMDR Psychotherapist with an established private practice in Paris, France since 2008. Her clinical expertise is in expat adaptation, trauma, burn-out, anxiety and mood disorders. Dr. Ventureyra is a researcher and neuroscientist by training and author/ co-author of several peer-reviewed scientific articles and book chapters. She has also worked in journalism, lectured at universities, and participated in crisis interventions in the aftermath of traumatic events. She consults in English, French and Spanish.
