How To Overcome Immigration Grief

It is common to emigrate to another country due to economic, social, physical or mental health factors or when developing a professional career. This decision is made in order to improve the quality of life. However, although this improves, it does not mean that there is no important process in the person and it is a difficult time for people. In fact, emigration is considered a psychopathological risk factor, especially if due to change of culture and customs the person’s personality can be affected.

Due to all the personal losses that the process implies, when emigrating one goes through a grieving process – known as migratory grief – which, in many cases, continues until the next generation in the new country. This grieving process includes lack of appetite, difficulty sleeping, feelings of sadness or anger.

Know the types of grief and their characteristics.

They are defined four stages main ones, although not everyone goes through all of them:

1. Honeymoon stage. In the first phase of migratory grief there are high expectations about improving the quality of life.
2. Depressive stage. In this stage, depressive processes are activated due to the renunciation of parts of one’s own culture to adapt to the new one. In addition, by lowering social status when changing countries, self-esteem and self-image can also be affected.
3. Adaptation stage. In the third phase of migratory grief, the person has already adopted the new culture and is integrated into society.
4. Stage of rejection of the original culture. It is the least common, but the situation may arise in which the person ends up rejecting the culture of origin.

On the other hand, we must keep in mind that this mourning implies several mournings, since the loss is not of one person, but of many, in addition to the loss of home, culture, customs…

There are exercises, techniques and books that will help you overcome immigration grief. Below we will see how to work on migratory grief and what some of the parts of psychological intervention in migratory grief are like.

1. Interpret the experience as an opportunity. The way we value things creates a great impact on us. We can see that the loss we have will also allow us new gains.
2. Generate a realistic idea of ​​what the new country will be like and what your country will be like if you return to it in the future. Ask residents, read books, so that you do not idealize one country or the other since, if you do, when something is not exactly as you had imagined, it can become very disappointing and generate a great discomfort.
3. Allow yourself to feel afraid, nostalgia, sadness during the situation. To face immigration grief, accept your emotions. The fact that emigrating is common does not mean that it is a less difficult situation. Therefore, do not feel guilty if you miss things from the past or if you often feel sad or angry. It’s part of the process.
4. Seek social support. Sign up for activities to meet people and let them teach you the country, the customs and help you integrate. Additionally, if they have also immigrated, they can understand how you are feeling and give you advice on how to cope.
5. Give yourself time to adapt to the new situation. He understands that it is an important change and that it is logical that at first everything will be difficult. Be patient and give yourself time to feel good and be integrated into the new home.
6. Find out and read about it. Another strategy that can help you deal with immigration grief is to read some books. “Migratory intelligence” is an excellent book by Joseba Achotegui – an expert psychiatrist on the subject – in which he exposes different ways of dealing with the different processes that one can go through during the process of emigrating. On the other hand, by the same author we do not find the work titled “12 specific characteristics of migratory stress and grief.” With both works, you will be able to delve deeper into the topic and feel accompanied during the process.

Above all, remember that it is something temporary, that over time you can adapt and that this adaptation depends in part on you. Assume the new situation, open yourself to the experience and show interest in being part of the new culture are key to feeling comfortable in the place you are and overcoming immigration grief.

This article is merely informative, at PsychologyFor we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.

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