By Itty Okopide
Did you just move to a different locality and you feel at a loss? You are not alone. Culture shock is an experience, or a disorientation people may have when they move to a cultural environment different from theirs. If you find yourself in caught between any of these symptoms, then you might be experiencing a culture shock.
- Anxiety, Depression, and Loneliness; These are one of the most common signs of culture shock that people are faced with. You may feel anxious as a result of uncertainty, get lonely when you don’t have people to interact with or people who speak the same language as you or you feel stressed generally for being in an unfamiliar place, then you are not alone!
To overcome these symptoms, you first have to realize that adjusting takes time, I mean, we just arrived a new cultural zone so it is expected that our bodies need time to adjust to the environment. We have to keep an open mind and embrace the positivity.
2. Disturbed Sleep Patterns; For some reason this seems quite ironic because people are supposed to be away from all the hustle and bustle of work to explore a different country and rest, so there shouldn’t be any reason to experience have difficulty sleeping. Well, this is relative, depending on the reason why you are away from home. However, this can happen to anyone, especially those who travel eastward.
To cope with this problem, try to take exercises early in the morning as soon as you wake up. Exercises like walking or jogging can help. Avoid caffeine or alcohol and stay away from tobacco.
3. Drastic Personality Changes; A sudden, undesired, or uncontrollable change in personality, especially in a different environment may be a sign of culture shock. This can occur for a number of reasons ranging from anxiety to stress, and being homesick.
To be continued…
