In a world that constantly demands better performance, it is hard to escape stress and its consequences. While stress is sometimes necessary to move forward and is positive for productivity, it can, in large doses, have harmful effects on health. Fortunately, there are methods to better control stress and avoid its unpleasant consequences.
What happens when you are stressed?
Stress is a physiological reaction to a dangerous situation or the need to push oneself to achieve a goal. This reaction is beneficial in the sense that it triggers an attack mechanism to get out of a perilous situation.
Your body responds by releasing hormones that help you prepare for or face a threat. Your heart rate accelerates, your blood pressure increases, with the aim of bringing more oxygen and glucose to your muscles.
This reaction was vital for early humans to survive in a hostile environment where nature was not yet domesticated as it is now. Today, in the urban jungle, this ability to react quickly is still present in us and helps us in very different situations.
Causes of stress
The causes of stress are of course multiple and everyone reacts differently, but generally speaking, a few stress-generating situations can be identified:
- overwork
- job loss
- family upheaval (marriage, divorce, birth…)
- traumatic events
- moving
- expatriation
The impact on your health
A little stress is often necessary, as a driver of your efficiency. It allows you to increase your performance when really needed, for example for an important exam or a professional appointment. But too much stress for too long is harmful to your health, from a physical and psychological point of view:
PHYSICAL CONSEQUENCES:
- Heart diseases
- Weight problems
- Sleep disorders
PSYCHOLOGICAL CONSEQUENCES:
- Irritability
- Inability to concentrate
- Depression
Expatriate stress
Besides professional, academic or family stress, expatriates also face culture shock. Indeed, moving abroad forces you to quickly adapt to new rules and profound changes in your daily life.
The stress of moving is already a shock, but then you have to know how to manage the psychological and emotional shock of arriving in a country that is often unknown. When you arrive abroad as an expatriate, everything becomes new, from the language to the climate, social rules to the climate, and the list can be long.
This whole process is called culture shock, and it goes through different phases:
1. The ‘honeymoon’: You are excited and highly motivated, all new experiences are seen positively.
2. Frustration: After a while, the excitement of the first days has subsided and the exceptional things of the beginning become mundane. You begin to idealize your home country and consider that in the host country everything is going wrong.
3. Adjustment: Eventually, you begin to accept the differences and consider that it’s not so bad after all. You even start to appreciate some cultural differences.
4. Optimization: This is a point where you are completely in tune with the new culture, and you feel almost as comfortable as with your original culture.
Managing culture shock
Managing culture shock means doing what you can to adapt to the culture of your host country. So as not to get stuck at the ‘frustration’ stage, and move as quickly as possible towards the ‘Optimization’ stage, here is some advice:
– Stay in touch with people back ‘home’. This will bring you some comfort, and above all will avoid reverse culture shock when you return (if you return!)
– Learn as much as possible about your host country’s culture, before departure and after. Increased knowledge of the new culture helps avoid surprises and ‘awkward moments’ in case of a blunder.
– Speak. If your expatriation is planned for a country that speaks a different language, start by learning a few simple everyday phrases. Plan for language courses once there. This also allows you to meet people.
– Stay open-minded about your adopted culture. Making friends with locals is the best way to feel well-integrated.
– Stay in shape. Instead of shutting yourself away and eating to find some comfort, stay active and eat healthily to maintain your mental and physical health. This is a very important concept for dealing well with culture shock.
What to do when faced with stress?
Identify the causes
There are many things to do to combat stress. The first is to identify the causes, by keeping a journal for example. By noting the situations where you feel stress, it will then be easy to review your notes to calmly consider the scenarios to apply for these situations.
Get organized
You will get more done while being less stressed if you plan a schedule prioritizing tasks. You must know how to say no, and prioritize certain tasks over others depending on their importance.
Exercise
Your physical health influences your mental health. If you think you are too busy, here are some examples of easily achievable daily physical activities: Walking instead of taking the car or public transport, exercising in a group helps motivate you, walking the dog, taking the stairs instead of the elevator… Keep in mind that a little is better than nothing, and more is better!
Sleep well
If you don’t sleep enough, the short-term effects are irritability and an inability to manage stress. But in the long term, lack of sleep increases the likelihood of depression, heart disease, diabetes, and a deterioration of general health.
Most adults need 8 hours of sleep per night to be fit. However, if you feel tired or restless during the day, you need more! Try going to bed even half an hour earlier. The effects are sometimes remarkable.
Tips and tricks to sleep better:
A warm room will give you a greater feeling of well-being, but a cool room helps you sleep better.
Avoid screens and bright lights before going to bed. This stimulates your brain, which on the contrary needs to relax.
Set up a bedtime routine to create a cycle that your body will get used to. Sleep will be easier to find and more restorative.
Eliminate coffee and nicotine in the evening. These stimulants disrupt falling asleep. Alcohol can help you fall asleep, but the sleep is of much lower quality.
Exercise. Especially gentle sports such as swimming or walking.
Eat better
It has been proven that diet plays a major role in our daily health. Prepare your meals yourself. They will contain less sugar, salt, or fat than processed ready-meals or restaurant dishes.
How can I protect my health against stress?
AzurExpat contracts include coverage for psychological treatments, whether inpatient (hospitalization) or through specialist consultations. A psychological support service is also provided by some of our partners. Do not hesitate to contact us for more information.
