Before digging deeper into this subject it is very essential for us to actually know or understand what exactly culture shock is? In simple and straightforward words culture shock is an individual’s personal feelings, or experiences which he, or she may face while moving from one place to another place or country. This bewilderment may result in experiencing some unfamiliar socio-cultural norms or behaviors. It often becomes very difficult for you to dealing with culture shock while traveling to another country or place. There aren’t any proven techniques to completely prevent or eliminate this problem.

What are major indicators of culture shock?

Physical and emotional indicators of culture shock are pretty easy to spot .Lethargic and indifferent feelings to the beauty around you..Drastic increase or decrease in appetite -or even comforteating. Excessive feelings of sadness. Homesickness. Intense feelings of loneliness (even though you are surrounded by many people). Showing signs of dissatisfaction in general. Fear of host country. Irritability. Showing bad temper without any obvious or apparent reasons. Feelings of selflessness and insecurity. Constantly thinking and idealizing home country. Showing no signs of good sense of humor (assuming you had one in the first place 😛 .
It certainly is a harsh reality that dealing with culture shock while traveling to a new country isn’t an easy task to cope with. Now we will discuss how you can cope with this psychological and social condition effectively.

How to cope with culture shock

Try to understand and slowly absorb the new culture. This will help you minimize the problems associated with culture shock.Think positive. This means you have to tell yourself that your feelings towards relocation or disorientation are natural. These feelings will also help you cope with this problem in an effective and efficient manner. To overcome your stress or depression due to loneliness better try to find some friends to get you acclimatized with the host country. Keep reminding yourself that this is a once in a lifetime opportunity and that you should be seeing this in a positive light and not a negative one! One thing to consider is the possibility that the country you have chosen just does not ‘speak’ to you. If you’re in Europe, take comfort in the knowledge that you are only a flight away to a new country with sites such as expedia.co.uk

You can also minimize the bad effects of culture shock by finding a nice and calm place to spend your leisurely time.Isolation is not the solution to your problem so try to indulge yourself in some good and new relationships and activities with the people of new country.Try to learn new things from new culture and its people.Take new things in a good way and as an experience for life.Read books and watch documentaries to understand the social and cultural differences between you and the people of host country.