3 Strategies To Minimise Culture Shock

Posted on 25. Sep, 2009 by Emmanuelle Archer in Blog, Expat Life, Musings & Inspiration, Tools & Resources
3 comments

As I mentioned before, I don’t believe that culture shock can be avoided altogether. But it can certainly be lessened.

We all know one of those “lucky” expats who seem to adjust effortlessly anywhere, no matter what kind of a hellhole their sadistic HR department sends them to. The truth is, luck has nothing to do with it. These highly adaptable individuals have mastered a few strategies that allow them to navigate through culture shock efficiently, if not entirely painlessly.

A lot of it is common sense, yes. But you know what? Common sense can go a long way.

3 Strategies To Minimise Culture Shock

1. Participate in the local culture

I know this can seem counterintuitive when you’re reeling from culture shock, and all you want to do is stay in bed with your head under the covers. The last thing you want to do is “experience the real country” and “live like the locals” and blah blah blabbity blah. You just wish you were back home, tucking into edible food and surrounded by conversations you actually understand.

But I must tell you that avoidance and isolation will only make matters worse. This is one of those “the only way around it is through it” kind of circumstances. By avoiding contact with the local culture, you’re cheating yourself of invaluable opportunities to grow.

So grab the bull by the horns! Make more native friends. Share their activities. See how they live. Ask questions. Put yourself in their shoes.

When you can start seeing things from the local people’s perspective, you’ll discover that there are very good reasons for them to live, behave and react the way they do. You’ll realise that there’s nothing “weird” or “irrational” about it after all.

This kind of insight is the best cure I know for culture shock – but it only comes with firsthand experience, and a lot of practice. Get started today!

2. Avoid generalising

Tarring everyone with the same brush is very tempting when you’re suffering from culture shock. But it’s a temptation you must resist at all costs, as it’s the slippery slope that leads to the “us versus them” mentality.

Time for a personal example: I love spending time in the Middle East. And I also happen to love animals. No, let me correct that: I am a bleeding heart when it comes to animals. So when I’m strolling among the glorious ancient temples of Egypt and I see a local kicking a famished, mangy dog, my immediate reaction is to be heartbroken – and furious.

Now here comes the tricky part: I can decide that this behaviour is unacceptable and uncivilised, that this person is a heartless jerk and that I’m mad at the Arab culture for being so cruel and unkind (see how easy it is to go down that slippery slope?)

If I do that, I’ve just built an invisible – but very real –  barrier between the local culture and me. A nice, thick barrier made of bulletproof tempered glass.

Or I can remind myself that there are several valid reasons, some practical and some cultural, for local people to consider dogs unclean and impure. My emotional reaction is my own problem – but it should not cloud the fact that the Egyptians are behaving normally and rationally according to their own culture.

If my discomfort is really too great, I can choose to do something about it: I can buy some food for the dog, or I can make a donation to a local association that looks after stray animals. But I need to acknowledge that I am doing this to make myself feel better – it’s not about reforming the local culture, because it’s not broken and it doesn’t need to be fixed.

3. Make self-care a priority

You probably know this intuitively: negative emotions hit you harder when you’re already out of balance, tired or stressed-out.

If your coping mechanisms are already depleted, culture shock will translate into that overwhelming feeling of alienation, disorientation and even dread. Doesn’t really sound like my idea of a good time.

By contrast, keeping yourself in good shape physically and mentally will make it much easier to cultivate a healthy perspective on culture shock – remember, it may be challenging, but it’s also an opportunity!

You know what to do. Whether it’s getting more sleep, eating better, writing in your journal before bed, or doing yoga every day… your body knows exactly what it needs. You just have to be willing to listen – and actually follow up on the hints you receive.

Self-care is not mindless pampering, nor is it self-indulgence or a once-in-a-blue-moon luxury. It’s about maintaining (or restoring) your balance and your energy, and heaven knows that as an expat you need more of it than the average person!

So remember to look after yourself. It just makes good sense.

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Emmanuelle

Image by minxlj (top) and Canadian Veggie (bottom), both via Flickr Creative Commons