30 Jan 2025
Have you ever felt like Alice, tumbling down the rabbit hole and finding herself in a whole new world? Being a new expat can feel exactly like that! It's exciting, nerve-wracking, and transformative all at the same time. But with every new venture comes its set of challenges. Stepping into unknown territories and cultures can sometimes be overwhelming for Indian expats, who typically go to foreign countries for better earnings and send money to India to their loved ones. What are the major hurdles expats usually face? Let’s learn in detail and find out some workable solutions.
Severe depression and anxiety can cloud Indian migrants who travel abroad to developed countries. Regardless of how much they earn, their health will be negatively impacted if they do not take care of themselves. Going abroad is fascinating and emotionally overwhelming, but it is never without purpose. Therefore, if the focus is on purpose, one will try to take optimal care of themselves because this will help them stay fit and be able to fulfill the purpose.
Self-care has two main dimensions: one is health, and the other is overall well-being.
The World Health Organization defines self-care as the ability of an individual, a family, or a community to promote and maintain health, prevent disease, and deal with sickness and/ or disability with or without a healthcare worker’s support.
According to the other definition, self-care includes hygiene, nutritious food, exercising, leading a healthy life, and taking all the essential steps that will help one manage the stresses that come with life.
Health hazards appear as soon as the excitement of traveling to a foreign country wears thin. Indian migrants, and there are over 32 million of them worldwide, are pressed by several financial challenges in their native country, including unemployment and poverty, that impact their health, other than causing worry.
They, therefore, travel abroad to earn a living and aid their families financially. In such a scenario, if they are neglectful of their health and self-care, they run the risk of becoming a liability instead of an asset.
This blog, therefore, aims to shed light on the self-care and other associated details that are essential for Indian migrants to know.
Most Indian migrants who have moved abroad for the sake of better earnings primarily focus on how they can make a more beneficial money transfer to India for their loved ones, thus not focusing on other problems and challenges. The journey to self-care starts with the following few challenges Indian migrants face in foreign countries to earn a living. Facing these challenges and not being able to surmount them only adds to one’s deteriorating health.
Culture shock occurs when someone leaves their comfort zone and familiar surroundings and moves to a new and unfamiliar environment.
Adjustment can be fairly tense and tough if the two environments are too different. For example, someone hailing from a rural area in India will find it hard to adjust to their new environment in, for instance, London.
It has four stages.
The other challenge Indian migrants have to surmount is the feeling of loneliness because they miss their family, friends, and familiar faces. It leads to homesickness, wherein one starts to miss one’s home to the point of being rendered extremely depressed and incapacitated.
If a migrant does not know the language of the country they are going to, it can cause a big communication barrier and render one isolated and alone. However, English has made it easy for Indian migrants to connect with the local communities of foreign countries, given the language’s universality.
Since expatriates have to navigate through the financials alone abroad, it can cause a big challenge as they have no idea about how things might work elsewhere. Although the internet is a great help, its information does not stand beyond doubt. Furthermore, finding a reputable remittance service provider such as ACE Money Transfer that offers them the best deals on their money transfers back home only adds to the worry. All of it can deteriorate one’s health, for which prioritizing self-care is important.
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Prioritizing one’s self-care is of extreme importance because a) it will help them maintain a good life abroad, allowing them reduced dependence on others, and b) help them stay focused away from distractions caused by health-related challenges.
Its other critically important benefits are listed below.
Self-care ensures that one maintains good mental health because the causes affecting one’s mental health are taken care of by self-care. In addition, emotional well-being is a sure outcome of good mental health.
Since the first outcome of self-care is good mental health, it allows migrants to be supple, perspicacious, and flexible in their attitudes, which further helps them adjust to a new environment.
Self-care ensures that the migrants adopt a healthy routine because the lack of a healthy routine will trigger health challenges. Adopting a healthy routine entails its own set of benefits other than health benefits.
Because self-care ensures good mental as well as physical health, it makes one’s overall migrant life a pleasant experience regardless of what they earn or do abroad.
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Any Indian migrant who has gone to a foreign country to earn a living or for any other purpose can get the immense benefits of self-care if they could act upon the following simple and practical tips.
The flow of migration is from developing to developed countries that have a rich culture immersed in several cultural activities and events. It is healthy to take part and engage in these activities.
Migrants must accept the local customs and culture after they have been through the 4 stages explained above. They must immerse in these customs to enjoy.
Indian migrants must focus on making new friendships and expanding their social network abroad. They will find it easy because most people are affable in foreign countries.
Indian expatriates must ensure they stay connected with their loved ones regularly. Getting lost in the allurements of a big city may be fascinating – but only temporarily.
Migrants can use infinite technological tools to ensure they have regular check-ins. The best part is most are available free of cost.
Indian expatriates must ensure that they have set a schedule for communicating with their families back home and try to adhere to it without fail.
Exercise can be done at the gym. But the gym is not the only option. One can ride a bicycle or, at the least, brisk walk sometime during the day.
Going to a gym for a workout keeps one motivated, and since one pays a monthly subscription fee, one ensures that money is not wasted.
Trying local cuisines is a healthy way to stay fresh. It can help one stay fit and healthy so long as the aim is to eat healthy!
One of the centuries-old ways to maintain good mental health is meditation. Therefore, Indian migrants must take some time daily to meditate.
Having health challenges, both mental and physical, is normal. Migrants must accept this. They must seek expert advice if they feel the need.
Having stress is normal, and it can be due to any reason. Therefore, Indian expatriates should indulge in book reading, watching movies, and fun activities to reduce stress.
One’s financials and health are directly related, more so for migrants. So, they must have a realistic view of their financials, create a budget accordingly, and stick to it.
Emergencies are uninvited. While living abroad, Indian migrants must create a safety net around them to respond to emergencies in a befitting manner.
If Indian migrants cannot understand the cost of living in their host country, they will suffer from depression and anxiety. They must understand the technicalities involved along with the cost.
Learning the local language of the host country will help Indian migrants integrate better into the local culture and enjoy more.
If one is struggling to understand a local language, one can either take language classes or join language exchange platforms.
Participating in local events only is not enough. One must ensure to respect the local customs whether one follows those customs or not.
As mentioned earlier, one must seek help when needed because mental and physical challenges are normal. But one must set limits crossing which should cause help-seeking.
Indian migrants working abroad must set personal boundaries so that they know when to seek help. For example, a headache caused by depression and one caused by fever will require different redress measures. Not setting boundaries, therefore, can blur the difference between the two.
A few critical signs of depression and anxiety are:
After setting personal boundaries, one is better positioned to understand the symptoms of depression and anxiety. So, if the symptoms are clear, the road to seeking professional help should also be clear!
Self-care for Indian migrants is critically important because its lack can shake their focus from the objective, which is about sending money back to India to offer financial aid. Besides, a lack of self-care can lead to deteriorating health, causing one to become a liability rather than an asset for those dependent on them. Follow the strategies and guidelines shared above to ensure better self-care so you live a smooth expat life and earn better. And, when you need to transfer funds back home with the most benefits, try using ACE Money Transfer, a name of trust that millions of others have been using already to send money to India online from abroad.
Moving to a new country can be overwhelming due to cultural differences, work stress, and homesickness. Self-care helps maintain physical and mental well-being, ensuring a smoother transition and a more fulfilling expat experience.
Staying connected with family and friends through regular calls, joining Indian expat communities, and celebrating cultural festivals can help. Engaging in local activities and building new friendships also ease homesickness.
Self-care doesn’t have to be expensive. Simple practices like daily exercise, meditation, cooking homemade meals, taking nature walks, and maintaining a work-life balance can improve well-being without extra costs.
Look for Indian grocery stores or alternatives to your staple foods. Cooking homemade meals using local ingredients, meal prepping, and balancing your diet with fresh fruits and vegetables can help maintain good nutrition.
Budgeting, tracking expenses, saving money, and using affordable remittance services like ACE Money Transfer to send funds home can help reduce financial stress.
You can connect with Indian expat groups through social media platforms, local cultural centers, religious institutions, and community events. Websites like Meetup and Facebook groups also help find like-minded individuals.
Many countries offer online therapy platforms, expat counseling services, and mental health hotlines. You can also seek support from expat groups, meditation apps, and mindfulness practices.
Set clear boundaries between work and personal time, schedule regular breaks, engage in hobbies, and ensure you have downtime to relax. Prioritizing self-care and maintaining a structured routine can help maintain balance.
ACE Money Transfer offers secure, fast, and cost-effective international money transfer services, helping Indian expats send money home easily. With competitive exchange rates and low fees, it ensures financial convenience for expats.
Building an emergency fund, investing in health insurance, keeping track of expenses, and using reliable financial services like ACE Money Transfer for remittances can help you stay financially secure as an expat.