Emigrating to another country: dealing with emotions

What emotions would a young person feel when emigrating to another country?

The usual emotions that a young person would face in this life-changing situation may include:

• Anxiety

• Loneliness

• Stress

• Fear

• Sadness

• Excitement

How would a young person react to the life changing experience of moving to a new country?

If the young person is not happy about emigrating to a new country, they may:

• be nervous about things like shopping or going for a walk as they will not know where to go.

• feel isolated as they are different from others in their new country and may be worried that they will be alone and not be able to make new friends.

• feel frustrated with differences in language/culture

• be tearful and miss friends and family at home

How could a young person positively manage this change?

A young person could:

• research what the change may be like. For example, if emigrating to a new country, finding out what the new country will be like will help to reduce feelings of anxiety and worry and help to prepare the person adapt to the change more easily.

• enjoy the challenge and excitement of moving to a new country to see what opportunities may happen as a result of this change.

• talk to friends and family to share and discuss how they feel about moving to a new country. This could help the person understand their feelings better and feel supported through this change.

• talk to someone who has been through a similar experience as this can be comforting to the person that all will be okay and that someone has been through this before.

• try to accept change through listening to music, exercising, joining clubs/classes to help make friends and help the young person not be so anxious about moving to a different country.