Culture Shift
Carry a healthy emotional passport
By Janice Abarbanel, PhD Mental Health/Study Abroad, NYU Berlin
From Moving With Resilience Between and Within Cultures, The Journal of Intercultural Education, 2009
Learn to culture shift
- You’ll be a more effective learner if you transition into another culture with healthy expectations & tools for change & adaptation.
- Practice noticing & regulating the intense emotions that are part of study abroad.
- Higher levels of stress accompany cultural transitions. Mood shifts diminish your logic.
- Learn to calm yourself down & manage your energy.
- Study abroad is a process, not an event.
- Welcome the whole journey, integrating pre-departure, in-country orientation & re-entry experiences.
Common Culture shock signals:
- Homesickness
- Irritability & hostility
- Boredom
- Withdrawal
- Need for sleep
- Compulsive eating or drinking
- Stereotyping of local people
- Loss of ability to work effectively
- Physical ailments
Effective Culture shift Strategies:
- Eat well, exercise, keep a mood journal
- Breathe! Slow down
- Build in quiet time
- Expect fatigue
- Practice saying “I don’t know.”
- Consult with mentor & peers
- Develop a support network
- Stay alert to the signals as signs of change
- Minimize catastrophic thinking; turn “What if’s” into “What else?”
- Believe in your own ability to solve problems
- Find difference interesting
- Recognize anxiety
Pay attention! Be prepared to get help if “signals” turn into persistent & worrisome behaviors.