In the initial lines of Jhumpa Lahiri’s novel The Namesake, Ashima, one of the central characters, is seen preparing a traditional Bengali snack jhal-muri, invoking the long-lost cravings of something close to her heart, emblematic of her birthplace, Kolkata, while she was residing as a diasporic Indian almost 13,009 km away, in a silent corner of the highly valiant city of New York. This shows that although she had to leave Kolkata, due to her husband Ashoke’s job, Kolkata didn’t desert her, running equally through her veins.
Well, this is not simply the story of one Ashima & Ashoke, but rather, the general predicament of a significant population, who have to migrate to foreign countries in search of better opportunities or career growth, in order to fulfill their aspirations which wouldn’t have been possible to realize had they stayed back at their birthplace.
On one hand, they need to have a positive mindset for accommodating themselves in a foreign work culture, while at the same time ensuring that their mental health is not affected due to this sudden alienation from their roots.
This article will stress how, with time and support, this alienation can be transformed into opportunities for career growth and development for diasporic individuals. We also provide practical strategies for maintaining sound mental health while working abroad.
Understand and Embrace the Challenges
The most common thing that individuals migrating abroad, for better jobs and career opportunities, have to face is coming to terms with the cultural differences and navigating the linguistic and societal norms to adapt to the new customs of the foreign land. Homesickness strikes them immediately, as they miss their friends and familial ties, alongside managing their work pressure in a completely different work culture with changing professional dynamics.
This can work either way – either the new work environment immerses them into an engagement, which temporarily rids them off their emotional ties with time, or they may experience increased homesickness. Also, it’s quite important to adjust to the new culture, otherwise, this homesickness may force them into the extremities of social isolation and mental trauma. This, in turn, may turn grave unless attended to in time.
Build a Solid Support Network
Technology has helped to remove even the farthest of distances, as video calls, social media, and other messaging apps are something we use almost as frequently as we breathe in. As regards this issue, it is not much of a problem to keep in touch with our loved ones, but it’s equally important to make new connections, especially cultural and social, and certain expatriates living in different parts of the world have formed communities which celebrate their indigenous culture on foreign soil. Besides, seeking support from coworkers and managers in the office and obtaining professional counseling or mental health therapy, in case of emergency.
Maintain a Healthy Work-Life Balance
Maintaining a healthy work-life balance is a mandate irrespective of the location. It is even more important when you are working abroad. To counter the threat of burnout arising out of stress, you can try certain hobbies like sports, arts, or cooking, especially if you enjoy any of these, it can have the same effect as medication. Individuals with good singing skills can create a YouTube channel and upload songs, those who are sports enthusiasts can join a local football or golf club during weekends, and so on. Besides, physical exercises like jogging, skipping, treadmill, and others, can keep them physically fit, and certain periods of rest, be it a cup of coffee during work intervals or roaming around the country on holidays to explore new places, could help alleviate the mental block of these individuals to a great extent.
Develop Emotional Resilience
As Sachin Tendulkar, the renowned cricketer, once said “If people throw stones at you, turn them into milestones.” This should be the mental build-up of any individual working abroad. Support this attitude with meditation, deep breathing, and yoga sessions, coupled with a sense of gratitude for the opportunity to work in a foreign land with new avenues. Besides this, focus only on the areas under one’s control to remove any mental blockage arising out of frustration and isolation.
Stay Connected with Your Home Culture
Now, this is something with which I started this article, about the diasporic Ashima in Jhumpa Lahiri’s masterpiece The Namesake preparing. This sense of ‘home away from home’ needs to be instilled into the psyche of the expatriates, which can be food, some sort of home décor like wall paintings, and music, indigenous folk songs. Besides these, celebrating traditions and festivals reminiscent of one’s culture might help if the individuals join any expatriate diasporic community. That they won’t feel left out and away from home. Also, staying connected with one’s cultural chords from the home country is essential to stay in high spirits.
Explore Your New Environment
Working abroad is a beautiful opportunity to explore the culture of a new region, in terms of food, places, customs and rituals, festivals, and the finer aspects of its heritage and culture. It is important to connect to the region and feel it on your skin. For example, if someone working in London visits the theatre screenings held at Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, he/she will get an opportunity to explore the ancient British culture and its theatrical and musical taste. This theatre was designed by Benjamin Dean Wyatt and has grand interiors reflecting Regency-era opulence with intricate detailing and luxurious décor, hosting plays by the legendary playwrights Congreve, Sheridan & G.B. Shaw.
The experience, therefore, would increase the individual’s cultural, historical, and linguistic admiration of London and he would no longer feel completely alienated from the British culture, perhaps. Every region has its unique charm and appeal; you need to pick up the flavours and savor them soulfully.
Set Clear Personal and Professional Goals
This again has to do with the work-life balance, while at the same time, learning a new language to upskill oneself with the communication process of the new country is certainly not a bad option to start with. For example, trying to learn French if someone is working in France would definitely help him acquire the new language, allowing him to mix more easily with the local people and befriend them for social camaraderie, which won’t be possible with simply knowing English, for that matter. Also, celebrating achievements, even the smallest of them, and a regular reflection on one’s performance at the workplace, a kind of self-introspection, definitely helps the expatriates in the long run.
Recognize When You Need Help
Taking care of your physical and psychological health is of paramount importance; you cannot ignore it. Mental trauma arising out of societal, psychological as well as professional alienation can prove to be fatal. In the worst of cases, it could even lead to the development of a nihilist attitude in the individual’s psyche, driving him to the extremes of frenzy, culminating in suicide. That’s why you must keep a check on your emotional health indicators like exhaustion, irritability, and anxiety and seek help at the earliest when things don’t seem to be well. It could be a trusted friend, or any confidante in the workplace, who could ease the psychic ailment or suggest effective ways to help.
Mental well-being is integral to both professional success and personal fulfilment for every working professional; especially for those working abroad. Apprehensions about the differences and assumptions about the difficulties will only hold you back from making the most of opportunities – they seldom knock twice.
If you have gone through this piece mindfully, then you know what to do and how. So, don’t hold back when you have the opportunity to stretch your boundaries; as Ashoke in Lahiri’s The Namesake, said, “Pack a pillow and blanket. Go see the world. You will never regret it, Gogol.”