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Understanding Migratory Stress
Migration is currently one of the fastest-growing social phenomena worldwide. The reasons people migrate vary from fleeing violence, persecution, and insecurity in their countries of origin to poverty and the search for better economic opportunities for their families, family reunification, or better education or employment opportunities. Whatever the reason for migrating, the experience brings challenges and requires the person to make changes to adapt to a new culture in the host country. This process requires additional effort and energy, which can lead to stress and anxiety.
Migration is a highly stressful experience that can affect an individual’s well-being and mental health. The literature documents symptoms such as acculturative stress, anxiety, grief and emotional pain from multiple losses, loneliness, loss of self-esteem, tension and fatigue from cognitive overload, facing language and cultural barriers, uprootedness, and the perception that one cannot function competently in the new culture.
Migratory Grief: Loss and Adaptation in Community
Another challenge faced by migrants is the feeling of loss, which some authors have referred to as “migratory grief”. This can be defined as a natural process of reorganizing one’s personality and adapting psychologically to the losses experienced when moving to another country.
Spanish psychiatrist Joseba Achotegui is a recognized expert in migration and mental health. He suggests that there are seven distinct types of migrant grief: grief for family and loved ones, grief for language, grief for culture, grief for the homeland, grief for social status, grief for the disconnection from one’s community, and grief for the risks to personal integrity. These losses can significantly impact the migrant’s mental and emotional health, exacerbating the stress and anxiety associated with adapting to a culturally different environment. Achotegui states that “unresolved grief grows and “consumes” the benefits of migration, leading the immigrant to a state of permanent crisis that affects their mental health”.
To overcome the grief of migration, it is essential to establish connections with the local community and seek emotional support by participating in groups with people going through similar experiences and sharing similar values. There are many types of groups, such as psychoeducational, religious, cultural, and sports. Participation in these groups is an important emotional, spiritual, and social factor for an immigrant.
Psychotherapy Strategies to Reduce Anxiety and Facilitate the Migration Adaptation Process
The stress of migrating is inevitable, but people can learn healthy coping strategies that help them regain their emotional balance and facilitate their adaptation process. At THG, we understand the importance of offering support services through a group modality that promotes and maintains the mental health of new migrants. These groups aim to facilitate their adaptation process and enhance their resources to face the challenges of migration. Some of the benefits of participating in the mental health support group for new migrants are:
- Identify and challenge negative automatic thoughts related to migration and replace them with more adaptive thoughts.
- Develop skills to improve stress tolerance and decrease anxiety.
- Develop resilience skills and promote self-efficacy.
- Process migratory grief and losses.
- Participating in a community can be a source of hope, promote social integration, and give one a sense of belonging.
If you are a new immigrant and need support adapting to this new country, join our Virtual Support Group for Recent Immigrants, “New Horizons,” every Tuesday from 5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., virtual sessions only, starting October 1st. We offer a safe and compassionate space where immigrants experiencing stress from culture shock and anxiety can meet to receive support and promote mental health care.
