For all the newcomers coming to Canada with their goals, ambitions and with limited resources. Moving to a new country is not easy, it comes with a lot of good and bad adventures. Navigating through different cultures, climate, and a different set of social norms put forward challenges for everyone entering the country. The feelings of isolation, loneliness, and the stress of building a new life can take a toll on your physical and mental health and make you feel low and unproductive. But there is a way to bridge the gap between uncertainty and certainty and make Canada your new home.
When people think of settling in a whole new country, they often just focus on finding a house, employment, and maybe learning the language. Even though these aspects are crucial, mental health is something that is not given a lot of importance. Relocating can make you feel disoriented and alienated at first, leaving behind family and close friends can also feel depressing, and lets not forget the paperwork and finances that go into the process which makes it super stressful. For someone who’s new to the country can also face seasonal affective disorder with the lack of sun during long winter months. All of this is normal and it happens to the best of us. Understanding and addressing these problems can make a lot of difference in finding your place in Canada and adjusting effortlessly.
Taking care of your mental health is just as important as fulfilling your physical and financial needs! Let’s look at some of the very common challenges that most face and how to overcome it, a full blueprint on how to thrive stress free is below!
Isolation
Being far from family and close friends that you grew up with can be difficult to cope with. You can find groups or clubs that share the same interests and spend time with the people you find there. Volunteer, Canadians love volunteers. Start talking to your neighbours, Canada is a friendly country, go out and offer them some cookies, no one says no to that.
Stress from expectations from parents back home
When you move to a different country you are carrying a lot of expectations and dreams of your parents along with your suitcase. The pressure to succeed and do well can get intense, especially when your family keeps unrealistic expectations like seeing you transform overnight. Keep the communication honest, and share your problems with them. Gently explain them the situation and the process, use phrases like “im working on it” and “it’ll take time” and if they start comparing you to someone else’s child, make them understand that this isn’t a competition
Culture Shock
You’ve landed in Canada where people are different, they might find things that you do rude that might be completely normal to you, they might end up saying sorry even though they are right! This might leave you confused. In the beginning you just have to fake it till you make it. Practice saying sorry, and that hockey smile!
Financial Stress
Relocating is not cheap, when you add up the rent, groceries, the winter jacket and snow boots. You are left questioning if you should moonlight as a cashier. There are a lot of free or cheap activities to do in Canada, look for that and have fun on a budget apart from looking for coupons and deals to save on groceries and shopping.
Adapting to a new life specially abroad is not easy, That’s where Workright’s “Thriving and Surviving in Canada” course steps comes in. It is the perfect blueprint on succeeding in Canada as an immigrant. it will help you turn your “what have i done” moments to “I’ve got this”. It is also packed with tips to keep your mental health intact and help you navigate life and make you feel like home here. So check the course out at this link https://training.workright.ca/learn/public/learning_plan/view/72/surviving-and-thriving-in-canada and get started with confidence.