Culture Shock, Stress, Fatigue 9 of 9 (Al Stewart)

Culture shock and culture stress have been on our minds at this time every week for a couple of months now.  I hope it has been a helpful time for you.  We’ve explored some happenings, events and situations that can trigger those feelings of culture shock.  They have all been real life examples.  But, of course, they’re not all the possible examples of cultural irritations or conflicts or stress.  If you have some you’d like to share, we’d be happy to hear from you.

Today we’re going to wrap up this miniseries on the subject of culture shock and culture stress and yes, culture fatigue as well.  As we do that we’re going to look some more at suggestions for coping with the daily culture shocks that build into culture stress and that can produce a heavy dose of culture fatigue.

So how do we handle all this?  How do we survive?  I suppose you could blow off steam in the security of our own housing, but that probably would not be advisable.  It might release some of the pressure you feel, but it’s not really productive.  You could pack it all in and grab the first plane home, or you can find little ways of helping yourself to adapt.

I’ve mentioned one or two of these suggestions each week.  Last week we reviewed several of them. Today - a few more suggestions for helping to deal with culture shock and culture stress.  Before we go any farther I should point out that there is nothing really profound in any of these suggestions.  Actually they’re sort of common sense.  But, when you’re in the middle of the stress sometimes common sense isn’t readily available to you.  Frankly, I wish I had had some of these suggestions at certain periods in my past.  I can think of some times when they would have helped.

So here we go …

This one sounds really simple, until you try and apply it.

Be patient.  Give yourself time to adapt.  Give yourself time to learn about the benefits of this new culture in which you are living.

If you come from the West then patience, very likely, is not at the top of your resume or your talent list.  You probably tend to be goal-oriented and that doesn’t leave much time for patience.   Like the guy who prayed, “Lord, give me patience and give it to me now.”  We’re always in a hurry.  We have to-do lists a mile long and every item has to be completed in the shortest possible time.  When you came to this place, your assignment might have been to accomplish certain things within a certain length of time and it is difficult to fit patience into that scenario.

Patience is necessary if you are going to learn about this place and why they do things the way they do them.  Patience is necessary as you discover that appointments are not really events tied to a specific time on your clock.  They just may be thought of as suggestions of nice things to do if it is convenient, and nothing else interferes.  The other person, or people, may show up an hour or more late, a few days late or not at all.  It may just be the way things happen here.  So pray for patience … Patience to learn about the customs and practices. … Patience in place of frustration or anger at not being able to accomplish what you have planned … or what has been planned for you.  Patience - as you learn to be flexible with goals and schedules and deadlines.  Learning real patience will help to reduce the stress that you will feel.  So by all means ask the Lord for real patience and don’t just wait for it to come.  Practice it.  Teach yourself to be patient.  It could save your life.

As we’ve already learned in past programs, constant encounters with culture shock can produce culture stress.  Too much of that produces culture fatigue.   You know what fatigue is, don’t you?  It’s not the just need for a power nap in the afternoon, although that definitely can help.

Fatigue is a feeling of weariness, tiredness, or lack of energy.  Fatigue is different from drowsiness which is the feeling of needing to sleep.  Fatigue includes a lack of energy and motivation.

Fatigue is a loss of energy and strength resulting from hard and continuous physical or mental work.

Do you know the feeling?  The constant attempts to work alongside this local culture has made you tired…  Day after day the same stress and you’re exhausted.  You not only have experienced culture shock, and you not only have culture stress, but the constant stress has given you a case of culture fatigue.  I know what that’s like.  I’ve experienced it.

So what can you do about it?  Well, some of the answers are the same as for any form of tiredness, weariness, or fatigue.

Take a break.  As much as it is possible get away for a time, even a couple of hours, from the scene of what causes you the culture stress and fatigue, even if it is only in your own apartment or room.  Put on a pair of headphones and listen to some music that gives you pleasure and that you find relaxing.  Find a quiet place to sit and read.  No, don’t study - just read for relaxation.  If the noise level is still too much for you then maybe put on some headphones with some very quiet music for background while you read or maybe some simple earplugs to muffle the noise would be a good investment for you.  If there is somewhere not too far away where you can go that is quiet, different, refreshing and affordable —  I guess that always has to be considered —  then go there.  Relax.  Don’t think about your work.  Let your mind think about something besides the things that cause it stress in this place.  

Remember, even Jesus found it necessary to get away from the crowds of people to get away to a quiet place.

Another suggestion - if you can’t get away, develop a hobby.  Okay, maybe you’ve never had time for a holiday.  Maybe you’ve thought that was taking time away from the things you are supposed to be doing for the Lord.  Well your sense of responsibility is admirable, but taking a little time for a hobby from time to time can do the same for you as a mini-vacation break.  So take the time.  Take some time to occupy your mind and thoughts on something different for a few minutes or an hour or two.  You just may find that you can come back to your responsibilities somewhat relaxed and refreshed and ready to handle a little more of that culture stress.  Oh yes, it will still be there but you will likely have softened some of its effect on you and your nerves.

Like other kinds of fatigue, culture fatigue can be helped by finding ways to relax.  Not just sleep … that helps, but only partially.

Relax.  You don’t have to be in control of everything that happens around you.  Yes, some of the local ways of telling time can be frustrating, but learn to find something else to do while you wait.

Simplify your goals.  Divide your goals into smaller steps.

Learn to accept the fact that you probably will never accept all the local ways of doing things, not one hundred percent.

Remind yourself of the things you and the Lord have accomplished here.  Thank Him for the progress that has been made.  It might be something small, but develop an attitude of thankfulness.

And here’s a suggestion from our friend Ron Koteskey, who has written a lot of helpful materials for expat Christian workers. Ron suggests becoming friends with a local family.  Get close to a local family, a family who is part of this culture, and do that just for fun, not to learn or to evangelize.  Learn how to have fun in this culture.

Sometimes culture shock and culture stress can feel like a terminal disease.  It can come with feelings of anxiety, helplessness, depression, fatigue, severe homesickness, anger, rejection and a whole lot more.  But you can survive it.  You can even learn to truly enjoy this place and get a smile of the things that happen to you.

Something I’ve mentioned in the past in this series - ask the Lord for a sense of humor.  Many of the things that happen to you every day have their funny side.  So ask the Lord to help you to see the lighter side of life, the humour in otherwise stressful situations.  It really can help.

Okay, that’s about all we have time for - culture shock … culture stress … and culture fatigue.  I hope this series was of some help to you.  If you have any comments, we sure would like to hear from you.