You’ve immigrated to a new country and you’re getting all these new core feelings and unknown sensations. Here’s one more thing that differentiates us from every other animal.   

While animals are constantly migrating, without each time signifying a big life change, for humans, immigration is referred to as trauma, with different effects on each person.

Multiple studies reveal real and natural effects of immigration, and these go beyond the obvious ones. We want to understand them, at a scientific level, in order to raise our awareness in their wake.

Awareness is highly important, especially in the before-math of deciding to immigrate. Setting your expectations, will allow you to take this whole life changing event into the right proportions and will prevent you from feeling overwhelmed too easily.

As much as immigration by choice carries with it very positive and exciting aspects on a person and his family, we also take a heavy punch from it; shock, readjustment, integration, belonging, identity – all of these concepts pop in our minds when transitioning to a new home. These are all processes that affect us emotionally, generating a high probability of anxiety, shooting our stress levels and causing some sorts of depression.

The intensity and duration of these effects can vary greatly depending on each individual, and the specific circumstances of their immigration.

When experiencing any of these tendencies, a new immigrant should quickly recognize and treat them as a direct effect of their recent life change and the facing of a completely new scenario.

Keeping in mind that not every effect is a negative one helps. In fact, there’s a positive effect known as the “healthy immigrant effect”, which provides immigrants with several evolutionary advantages, such as: resilience, flexibility, adapting skills, openness, analysis, coping capabilities, and others. These shall be used as long term weapons! 

Overall, it is important to understand that it isn’t just key words in the air, when it is said that acclimation is important. Acclimation is probably the most important aspect of immigration, because it’s lacking keeps us in a situation of risk. Therefore, the period of acclimation should aim to be as short and efficient as possible.

How would any person achieve this while having to care for the many burdens that come with immigration?

The only answer is: by delegation. The smartest way of going about this, for yours and your family’s well-being, is by transferring the most energy and time-consuming aspects of your transition to whom can handle them for you. The delegation of your immigration turns out to be your best investment.