Expatriate Mental Health with Irene Anggreeni

Learnings from our conversations.

I am not from here podcast is about creatives designing their lives and careers in foreign countries. Each episode is two-part; the first is an episode with an expat creative you can listen to wherever you listen to podcasts and the second is where you get to part take in the conversation on Clubhouse or Instagram live.

⬇ ️Listen to the episode⬇

My guest Irene Anggreeni

is a global mind from Indonesia based in Rotterdam (NL) since 2014. She’s part of a co-housing community (or ‘centraal wonen’ in Dutch), which her partner and their cat also join in.

Formerly an engineer/academic expat, today she is a licensed dance/movement therapist, corporate wellness consultant, and founder of Expat Wellbeing. She is a mental health survivor too.

Having overcome her own mental health struggle, she is passionate about supporting others in their expat journey to create a balance in their body-mind-spirit, with wellbeing and happiness first.

Most recently her focus has shifted towards facilitating self-healing from trauma through Tribe work. For more details, book some time with her.

In my conversations with Irene

we ran through many themes surrounding migrant culture like finding a home, competition vs community, survival mode, etc. In further discussions, we delved deeper into the mental affectations of being a migrant. Some things I learned…

1. Loneliness has psychological and physiological effects.
   Being a migrant is an incredibly lonely journey. They cannot relate to the people around them and the people they moved away from. To counter the effects of loneliness, get comfortable with your own company (self-acceptance) and focus on having quality interactions with others that nourishes all parties involved.
2. There is a tactical approach to dealing with anxiety.
   A migrant lives in a constant state of uncertainty which is a major trigger for anxiety. To deal with the emotion, it is important to first regulate the body and then make space to deal with the situation at hand. To regulate, focus on the breath, specifically on breathing out. To help make space physically and mentally, move your body / go for a walk, dance a little, or you can engage your senses by mindfully naming what you see, feel, smell, taste, and hear.
3. Asking for help takes courage and openness.
   An expat is very focused on survival and matters of the mind might be trivial in front of that. If this persists, it can lead to deeper mental troubles. Self-reflect on how your physical and mental body is doing. Some issues can be solved with a quick phone call to a friend and others might need professional help. Voice it out to be helped.
4. The best support is having a community.
   Migrants tend to focus on survival. Instead, focus on being a part of or building a community. A community can provide support during tough times, a safe space to share challenges and resources e.g. about visas, work, housing issues, and ensure you are not alone in your journey. Your community has your back.
5. Happiness is a practice.
   It is also a choice. The impact of which is increased confidence and an adventurous spirit. It can also change your perspective when tackling hard-hitting visa issues.

Going through a mental issue is living out of alignment with who you are. It is a sign that we need to work on ourselves. If you or anyone you know is experiencing long-term mental struggles, please seek professional support. While your GP is usually the first stop, many qualified therapists/coaches with independent practice can offer help faster.

When it comes to mental health, prevention is always better than a cure. We want to avoid our challenges turning into bigger problems. Start with simple steps, no matter how small, to take care of yourself. Feel free to use our speakers’ self-healing checklist below.

👋🏽 Until the next episode!
Hint: it is on sacrifices made when being an expat.

Links

Speaker
Instagram
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn

Expat Wellbeing
Tribe Program
Self-healing Checklist

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