Tough Times

One of the joys and challenges of being an expatriate is a greater awareness and a wider vision of the world around us.  This can make world events extremely personal because we have visited that location, or have friends and colleagues who live and work there, or who were born there.  So our focus is often broader than it was before our expatriate experience.  That broad outward vision takes time and energy though and sometimes we don’t have that to give.  In tough times

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Stress, resilience and expatriates

I recently revisited the research and data around stress at work.  With my colleague Susan MacDonald from Psychology At Work, we designed and delivered a workshop for one of our clients presenting strategies to build resilience and stress management capabilities at individual, team and organizational levels. 

We all know the messages that tough times can make us stronger, but the key fact that remains with me from reviewing the research is how damaging chronic stress can be at a physical, mental and financial level for individuals and for organizations.

We all know about the risk of heart attacks, strokes and depression but did you know that being in a state of chronic stress can impact right down to a genetic level re-writing our most basic

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Manage the stress of moving

So you’re moving! A new location, a new home, new places to explore, new friends, a new job. Exciting and challenging at the same time. Your home is for sale or being prepared to rent. Belongings need to be sorted, discarded, packed or stored. And the do-list with 1000 items is constantly demanding your attention.

Yes, moving can be stressful. Even when you are 100% positive about the move, the things to be done can become overwhelming. And the emotional side of saying goodbye and leaving can be difficult. If you are less than positive about the move, perhaps feeling it is a move that has to be made to meet the needs of a partner or work requirements, then the stress can be even higher.

How can we manage these challenges to relieve some of the stress?

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