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Stress and your health
Try these tips for reducing stress during your relocation, wherever you are.
Stress impacts everyone — and it can take a special toll when you’re working far from home or living abroad with a spouse on international assignment. Research shows that expatriates are more likely to struggle with stress, along with anxiety, depression and alcohol/substance abuse — yet very few of them actually prepare for the possibility of encountering these while away.1
Common expat stress triggers
- Language barriers that make it difficult to communicate effectively
- Cultural differences that can make you feel like an outsider
- Workplace challenges such as long hours, tight deadlines and unrealistic expectations
- Difficulties with spouses finding work or activities to enjoy
- Loss of your support network of family and friends back home
Tips for combatting expat stress
- Seek resources to help you assimilate into your new culture
- Stay connected to loved ones at home
- Reach out for professional support early and often
Further reading:
1 Pioneering Change: Understanding Health & Healthcare for Globally Mobile & High Net Worth Local Populations. Aetna International, October 2016.
"Research shows that expatriates are more likely to struggle with stress"
