Culture Shock: 7 Ways to Lessen the Impact
Culture shock is relatively common among students who study abroad.
It typically moves through four phases:
Honeymoon
Frustration
Adjustment
Acceptance
But depending on how long your study abroad adventure is, you may never actually leave the first phase of excitement, so you may not feel that you have experienced culture shock at all.
If you’re abroad for a full semester or an academic year, you may feel yourself moving into the Frustration stage. This is the most difficult phase. Your frustration is often triggered by small things like buses consistently not running on time, or not being able to find a certain food you miss, as well as bigger issues like language barriers and miscommunication. Homesickness is common during this stage.
Eventually, if you stay long enough, you’ll start to adjust, become more familiar with the food, more comfortable navigating public transportation, start to make friends, and become better acquainted with the language.
The last stage, acceptance, can take years, so it’s unlikely you’ll reach this phase while studying abroad short-term (but we know that studying abroad can sometimes trigger a desire to pursue a life abroad after you graduate, so it’s useful to know).
Here are seven things you can do that will help lessen feelings of culture shock, particularly those in the Frustration stage:
1. RESEARCH. Before you travel, learn everything you can about your host country and its culture. Not just the big traditions or the history, but also the small things. Did you know that, in England, for example, it’s common to hang clothes up to dry as many homes don’t have a dryer? This is sometimes shocking to students who have to get used to waiting a few days for washed clothes to be ready to wear again. Learning information like this in advance can help set expectations. Alongside traditional and online research, it’s worth joining a few local Facebook groups in advance. These are great places to ask questions about what it’s really like to live there (or even just to listen in on common topics that come up).
2. JOURNAL. When you first arrive in your host country, you’re likely to see your new world through rose-tinted glasses. In the beginning, you’re enjoying the honeymoon stage. Everything is novel and exciting. You’re infatuated with your host country. Write these positive experiences in your journal—as many of them as you can. Not only will you appreciate looking back on these moments when you return home, but you can also look back on them while you’re still abroad if you find yourself reaching the frustration stage. These early memories and observations can help give you perspective and remember the positive feeling you had when you arrived.
3. CONNECT. If you’re feeling frustrated or homesick, the worst thing you can do is wallow in your ruminating thoughts, alone in your room. Talk about what you’re feeling with your classmates because chances are, they’re feeling the same as you. Or reach out to ASA staff. We’ve all been there too. And if you miss your friends and family back home, technology is your friend. Make time for video chats. But, if you can, do plan to do something else right after you talk so you’re not dwelling on who and what it is you miss from home.
4. EXPLORE. Get out and about. Stay busy. Discover a new favorite cafe, a trail to walk where you can be outdoors in nature, or a cute hidden beach where you can feel the waves splash against your feet. Wander through your neighborhood. Take time to stop and appreciate a beautiful garden, be amused by a funny piece of street art, or smile at someone walking past you. These activities help you create positive moments and keep the focus off of the negatives that creep into your thoughts when you’re not busy.
5. TAKE CARE OF YOUR BODY & MIND. Make sure you’re not burning the candle on both ends, going out too much, for example, or taking too many trips while also trying to keep up with your coursework (and maybe an internship too). Fill your body with good nutritious food and don’t forget to drink plenty of water. Give your mind what it needs through a daily run, yoga, writing, meditation or whatever it is that usually brings you a sense of peace.
6. LET YOURSELF FEEL. Remember: what you’re going through—perhaps frustration or homesickness—is completely normal. Don’t try to shove the emotions aside, or bury them. Let them be. Culture shock comes from a feeling of disorientation. Things are unfamiliar. You’re away from your family. Your mind has a lot to process. And it will, with time. Head back to that journal, and free write often. Read what you wrote in your first weeks or months. Talk. This will help your mind start to make sense of it all.
7. PERSPECTIVE. As a study abroad student, your trip has a beginning and an end. In a few weeks or months, you’ll be back to your everyday life. This is a beautiful opportunity, a unique, challenging, visceral experience that you will likely look back on as a defining period of your life, and it will likely play a role in forming a part of who you are and how you identify. Be present in every moment that you can and make the most of it.
Reach out to ASA staff on site if you’re struggling. We also have a relationship with Mindhamok for 24/7 mental health care.