How to manage stress when you are studying abroad

In research conducted by Forbes-Mewett & Sawyer in Australia, international students were interviewed about the most common transitional stresses they faced while adjusting to life in their study home and many of these apply to all our study destinations.

Upon arrival, international students face 'culture shock' and a string of new responsibilities including navigating language barriers, finding accommodation, finding housemates, paying rent, learning to manage a household and studying, to only mention a few.

Students also reported initial worries about English language barriers when making friends, voicing opinions during group assignments and/or utilising professional health-care services, mainly due to fears about miscommunication.

In addition to the financial pressures of budgeting and handling household finances, international students must adjust to unfamiliar academic environments, study styles and course structures.

Some students, especially those receiving financial support from home, reported feeling intense pressures to succeed or achieve academically whilst studying abroad. Students who reported feeling their academic work was 'below expectation' experienced higher levels of anxiety and depression resulting in poorer academic performance.

Some students may experience homesickness a few days after arriving at their new home and for others it may take a few weeks. Feeling homesick is common and may involve the experience of the following:

• low mood
• anxiousness
• feeling unmotivated
• feeling you don't belong
• generally feeling unwell
• pre-occupation with thoughts of home
• nothing feels familiar
• feeling like your new life does not meet your expectations
• feeling alone and lonely.

If you are feeling homesick or stressed, here are some tips to manage these normal and common emotions:

Build your local support network or swap stories with other international students sharing similar experiences. Use social networking sites/apps like Meet Up to find international student groups, or people in your city who share similar hobbies.

Talk with someone close and trusted. Still, try not to contact home too often you'll want to focus on your current experiences as an international student too.

Try:

• scheduling weekly/monthly Skype sessions with family or friends.
• raveling and sending postcards back home.
• writing emails or letters.
• switching off social media for a while.
• being open to new experiences.

Make an effort to get to know your new surroundings and what's happening in your new city. Familiarizing yourself can lessen feelings of everything feeling strange and new and it helps you feel connected to your new life. If you were involved in a club/church/group back home, then find out what your new neighbourhood has to offer.

Do a little research about where you're living and find a few places you absolutely have to explore - the ten best coffee shops in the city, the favorite locations for local street artists or all the different places you can go hiking.

Make a list of these places or activities and challenge yourself to do or see all of them before you leave.

Exercise improves both physical and mental health, so stretch your legs. Eat nutritional meals. Rest well.

You might feel a lot of pressure to be positive about your whole international study experience, especially if you had high expectations when you arrived. Or you might feel the need to put on a happy face when you talk to folks back at home, but there's no shame in being homesick. It happens to almost everyone.

Seek help from a professional if you feel that you need additional support to work through your stress. A range of individuals and organisations provide support for people experiencing mental health concerns.