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Mental health and living abroad: New data reveals the most common pitfalls

Studying or working abroad is a fantastic experience for many, offering new experiences and perspectives. However, it can also provide significant challenges, especially with regards to wellbeing and mental health.

Published: 28 March 2022 15:04 CEST
Mental health and living abroad: New data reveals the most common pitfalls
Living in a new country can be exciting but also daunting. Photo: Getty Images

Many people experience significant challenges to their general wellbeing and mental health when moving to – and living in – another country. This can take many forms, such as:

  • Difficulty accessing medication, particularly medication prescribed in the previous country of residence.
  • Not being able to navigate the local health system to book an appointment.
  • Not being able to find the right ingredients for a vegan or vegetarian diet.

In partnership with AXA Global Healthcare, we take a look at some of the major issues facing international professionals, as well as what can be done to look after health and general wellbeing as an expat.

Difficulties faced

Having moved to Berlin from Saudi Arabia to study and work in HR, Hanan Asgar was excited about the opportunities Germany offered. As she says: “I wanted freedom, respect and equality for myself and my generation.”

However, the combination of being completely new in a foreign country, together with an unfortunate incident in her first few days in her new homeland – about which Hanan had no one to speak to – meant that Hanan began to feel isolated and anxious.

She tells us: “My anxiety grew and I actually ended up locking myself in my dorm room and questioning my choice of moving to Germany. But after some reflection, I realised that it was me who was missing out on the lectures I was avoiding. So I took the courage to step out again and face what was to come.”

Living and working abroad, far from home, can present a number of obstacles. Learn more about how AXA provides mental health and wellbeing healthcare as part of its global health plans 

Hanan subsequently underwent treatment for anxiety and depression with a therapist, and has now been living happily in Berlin for the past six years.

Hanan’s experience with initial culture shock and mental health challenges, while living and working abroad, is shared by many expats. A social listening study conducted by AXA* in 2021, across six popular nations or regions for those living abroad, discovered:

  • Anxiety was the most common difficulty faced by expats in France, the Scandinavian countries and the United Kingdom – 24%, 27% and 32% respectively.
  • Depression was the second most commonly experienced challenge.
  • Those in France were most likely to experience anxiety and depression regarding the consequences of Brexit.
  • Other issues that those in France, Scandinavia and the United Kingdom identified as obstacles associated with living abroad, included dealing with chronic illness (such as living with a condition like diabetes), safety concerns (for example, crime) and stress related to the workplace.  
Exercise can help deal with stress. Photo: Getty Images

Strategies that work 

Fortunately, the AXA study also shows that there are a number of strategies that work when dealing with health and general wellbeing issues. Their study found the following:

  • Building strong support networks and healthy relationships with friends and co-workers was seen as important by expats in all countries.
  • Building strong support networks, as well as spending time on entertainment and hobbies, were particularly important to those living in the United Kingdom. 
  • Exercise – outdoor, or in a gym – was particularly helpful to those in Scandinavia and France, while those in France reported that they had also had specific success with mindfulness practice and good nutrition.
  • The most effective and useful strategy that AXA discovered, however, was proactive and preventative healthcare, such as accessing a GP or qualified psychologist. 

Discover more ways to look after mind and body while living abroad with AXA and their Mind Health Service 

Hanan Asgar moved from Saudia Arabia to Berlin. Photo: Supplied

Seeking out the right health professionals for both body and mind can significantly reduce the levels of anxiety and depression experienced by those living abroad. Regular check-ups can prevent conditions becoming chronic, while discussing mental health and wellbeing can substantially reduce the pressure that many feel. Prevention, as the saying goes, is better than cure.

Ensuring you have the right healthcare

Finding the right health professionals abroad can be difficult due to language differences, cultural attitudes and varying levels of healthcare. As Hanan reports of her own experience: “I sought professional help and it was quite challenging to find a therapist who spoke English. It took months just for an initial appointment. In the meantime, I would go to an emergency psychological help centre or ask a friend to be around. It all worked out in the end, but it did take a mental toll on me”. 

This is why finding a health insurance provider that offers fast and effective links with health professionals is key. When looking for an insurance plan, consider what AXA has to offer, and the Mind Health Service1 they provide for their customers.

Included with all individual and small business coverage plans, the Mind Health Service provides up to six telephone-based sessions for those covered, in addition to their Virtual Doctor Service2. It’s easy and fast to connect to a qualified psychologist who speaks your language, wherever you are in the world, whenever you need it. There is no extra charge for this service for individual, family or SME customers, it has no impact on your excess and outpatient or policy allowances, and can also be used by anybody who is covered by your plan. 

Living abroad is, for many, the experience of a lifetime. The memories and friendships created can endure long after we’ve returned home. That’s why it’s so important to ensure that the care and support is there to ensure you can keep enjoying your new country.

Ensure that your time overseas is happy and healthy.  Access up to six telephone sessions with a qualified psychologist through AXA’s Mind Health Service, available at no extra charge as part of all individual coverage plans

*Social media listening, commissioned by AXA – Global Healthcare, conducted by Listen + Learn from 2018-21, across six regions: Canada, Dubai, France, Hong Kong, Scandinavia and UK

¹The Mind Health Service is provided by Teladoc Health
²The Virtual Doctor Service is provided by Teledoc Health

AXA Global Healthcare (EU) Limited. Registered in Ireland number 630468. Registered Office: Wolfe Tone House, Wolfe Tone Street, Dublin 1. AXA Global Healthcare (EU) Limited is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland.

AXA Global Healthcare (UK) Limited. Registered in England (No. 03039521). Registered Office: 20 Gracechurch Street, London, EC3V 0BG, United Kingdom. AXA Global Healthcare (UK) Limited is authorised and regulated in the UK by the Financial Conduct Authority.

Member comments

  1. disappointed of the use of the word “expats” that word is just creating a classist differentiation that shouldn’t exist, and using our privilege to create a gap doesn’t help, we all are migrants, that’s it.

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COST OF LIVING

How much money does it cost to live in Norway? 

Norway is equally known for good wages and a high cost of living. So, what is the typical budget for a family, couple and single person in Norway, and how does it change based on your circumstances? 

Published: 23 May 2023 11:30 CEST
How much money does it cost to live in Norway? 

Generally known for being expensive, Norway has seen the cost of living in the country increase over the past 18 months thanks to high food and energy prices driving inflation. 

For example, the price of the most important food and drink products has risen twice as much as general inflation, according to SIFO, an institute for consumer research. 

Their figures are based on the cost of the average shopping bill, which allows for a well-balanced diet with essential everyday products. 

Meanwhile, the consumer price index (CPI) in Norway, which measures inflation, shows that prices have risen 6.4 percent in Norway over the past year. 

Whether you weigh up moving to the country, already live in Norway or are simply curious about how much of the oft-talked-about high salaries are eaten by salaries, SIFO publishes annual reference budgets, which crunch the numbers on living costs in Norway. 

SIFO uses a robust calculating method to figure out a rough reference budget for someone based on their age, earnings, whether they have a partner or children and what kind of car they drive. 

For example, a single man aged between 20-30 years old with no partner or children and who doesn’t drive a car is expected to have monthly outgoings of 12,293 kroner (excluding tax) if they earn the average salary of 53,150 kroner per month. 

The budget also does not include rent either. Rent prices in Norway vary between cities. In Bergen, it costs roughly 9,500 kroner a month for a one-room apartment compared to 11,950 kroner for a place of the same size in Oslo. Renting a room in a flatshare is also popular among younger people and is significantly cheaper than renting an entire apartment. 

The budget does include food and drink, clothing, personal care, leisure and media use, travel, furniture, other groceries and household items. Food is the most considerable expenditure in this example budget, costing 4,540 kroner a month. Meanwhile, the clothing and travel budget cost 900 and 853 kroner respectively. 

Social activities and media use were the next most significant expense after groceries, costing 1,650 kroner a month in the individual-specific section of the reference budget. Regarding household-specific expenses, media use and leisure were the biggest expenses, with an estimated expenditure of 2,160. 

Somebody of the same age in the same situation but earning around 20 percent less (43,150) kroner per month would have the same total expenditure, excluding taxes and rent. Therefore the main difference would be disposable income after expenses, taxes and rent. 

Meanwhile, a woman earning the average salary in Norway would have a lower monthly expenditure than a man, spending 11,623 kroner per month. The main differences between the two are a higher grocery bill for men and the woman spending more on personal care. 

Should the man and the woman meet, fall in love and move in together, they would spend on average 23,271 kroner per month, according to the reference budget. The food bill rises to 7,890 kroner per month for two people living together. The clothing, personal care, and travel budgets are essentially double compared to a single person, dealing a death blow to the old saying “two can live as cheaply as one”. 

Money spent on free time, leisure and media would total more than 5,000 kroner, while it would cost the couple 3,000 kroner to run a car. However, if they chose to run an electric vehicle, the cost of running a car would drop by 1,000 kroner a month. 

The expenditure in the reference budget mostly stayed the same if the earnings were pushed up to reflect both people in the relationship earning close to the average wage. 

Provided the relationship is going well, and the woman were to fall pregnant, the expenditure for the couple would increase by over 4,000 kroner to 27,801 kroner. This is because the couple would begin spending around 3,880 kroner a month on stuff for the baby. At this point the ages of the two people has been moved to being between 30 and 51. 

Once the baby is born, the monthly budget would swell to 30,871 kroner by the time the baby is between six and eleven months old. The couple’s food, clothing and personal care budget would see the largest rises. The food bill for a family with a baby is 9,620 kroner a month compared to 7,890 kroner a month for the couple when they’d just moved in with each other.

For a family with an annual household income of a million kroner (which means both parents earn close to the national average) and one school-age child signed up for after-school activities (SFO), and a toddler with a full-time kindergarten place who uses a car, the monthly reference budget is 37,826 kroner per month. 

The food bill would total around 13,000 kroner each month, while clothes, personal care, leisure time and media use would set the family back just over 10,000 kroner per month. Travel for the family (excluding car running costs) comes in at a hefty 2,133 kroner a month, while equipment for the toddler would set the family back around 3,880 kroner a month. 

After-school activities would cost 1,108 kroner per month, and money spent on other groceries and household items would be 1,350 kroner each month. Meanwhile, leisure and media use for the household would set the family back an additional 2,300 kroner. 

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