Culture shock is a feeling of confusion, anxiety or discomfort when you move to a country with a new environment or entering a new culture that differs significantly from what you’re used to. This is something that is experienced by nearly all international students due to unfamiliarity with the weather, local customs, language, food, and values, thus, it is very common.
Imagine, you try to hug someone to say hello but in this country people just nod their heads so you will feel awkward and confused. Similarly, when you crack a joke but no one laughs instead they make weird faces because they don’t get your humor so moments like these can make you feel like you don’t belong. That’s why culture shock can be quite stressful and lead to anxiety if not handled well. However, it’s possible to overcome. With the right mindset, patience and gradual acceptance of the new culture, you can gradually feel more comfortable in your new surroundings. Overcoming culture shock not only helps you to feel more at home but also makes your life more enjoyable as you can connect with new people easily, understand their customs and you become more confident.
In this post, we’ll break down why culture shock happens, how to recognize the signs (some might surprise you), and how you can deal with it so you can start enjoying your new life and make new connections. 
5 Signs of Culture shock
Culture shock is not just about homesickness but its the psychological and emotional reaction to living in a new and unfamiliar culture. It can hit you when you least expect it, like one day you are excited to explore the country and the next day, you are irritated by everything around you and you just feel like you don’t belong. If you’re feeling “off” but can’t quite explain why, you might be going through it.
Here are some surprising signs you might be going through it (and didn’t even realize);
- Sleep or eating disturbances:
Disturbance in eating or sleeping patterns can lead to weakness, feeling more emotional and being less productive in class. For example, when you skip a proper meal and rely on instant noodles or coffee and stay up all night to watch shows of your country or talking to your old friends and family so your body starts running on low energy. Even if you are tired the whole day, you might struggle to sleep. You are hungry but nothing appeals to you. How many of you have stared at your plate in the cafeteria, hungry but unsure what to eat because nothing looks familiar? That culture shock quietly makes you homesick and disturbs your daily routine.
To fix your sleeping and eating pattern, you can make your favourite comfort food and if you don’t know how to cook, don’t worry you can find plenty of easy and quick recipes. For example, check out Budget Bytes – it’s a fantastic site with easy, cheap, and tasty meal ideas designed for students and beginners. Also, make a routine for screen time. For example if you want to watch your favourite show so you can watch it during your lunch time or after college but don’t let it disturb your sleep. And most importantly, don’t blame yourself for not “adjusting fast enough”. As settling in a new country takes time and it’s completely normal.
2. Overwhelmed by small things:
It happens when tiny problems add up or seem more important than they are. For example, stressing over little things like grocery shopping, ordering food, asking for previous work in class and making friends. I remember when I went grocery shopping but none of the labels looked familiar so at that time it felt like a difficult task so when you move to a new country, even basic things can feel mentally exhausting and you feel overwhelmed by little things like these which is culture shock. For instance, a study published in BMC Psychology found that international students with lower self-efficacy scores experienced greater culture shock, highlighting the impact of everyday challenges on their adjustment process. However, taking a break, organizing tasks, and focusing on what is most important can help. It’s also good to remember that small problems are often temporary and manageable.
3. Homesick even during fun moments:
It is a feeling of sadness, loneliness and emotional discomfort because your mind still misses home. Even though you are enjoying time with your friends, eating delicious food and laughing but a small reminder like a song that you used to jam with your old friends, smell of food that reminds you of your mom’s cooking or just a moment of laughing can suddenly hit you and remind you of your home and your home country. You catch yourself thinking “We used to do this” and your mind naturally compares it to what’s familiar so this quiet comparison is a powerful sign of culture shock. A literature review published on ResearchGate, highlights that international students often experience culture shock manifested through homesickness, a desire to escape their new environment, and distress.
4. Depression:
Culture shock causes stress, confusion, and loneliness. These feelings can lead to depression if they last long. Students may feel sad, hopeless, or lose interest in daily activities like studying, socialising and even going to campus. Things that you used to enjoy may no longer excite you, you might feel that no one is truly yours or no one understands you and you may get emotional. I remember waking up some days wondering, “Why am I even here?” not because I hated the place, but because I was overwhelmed with stress and constantly thinking about memories with my friends and family. Negative thoughts would flood my mind like “I am so far from my loved ones, I don’t even know when I will see them again.” So these thoughts didn’t just affect my mood but also made me feel lazy, stressed, and drained. That’s why it’s important to recognise these signs to avoid skipping classes, meals and a cycle of stress. A study reported that 45.3% of overseas students exhibited clinically significant depressive symptoms, highlighting the profound effect of cultural adjustment challenges.
5. You lose motivation:
Culture shock can lower motivation by making someone feel lonely and out of place. This stress can make it hard to focus or stay interested. When adjusting to a new culture, students may struggle with unfamiliar customs and language which can cause frustration and reduce their desire to try new things like you may tell yourself that you will study tomorrow, you will eat later, you will text new friends soon and you may sleep all day. Have you ever caught yourself lying in bed, scrolling aimlessly, feeling guilty for not “doing enough,” yet unable to get up?. If you also feel like this for no reason, then it is not tiredness or laziness but it is the culture shock which has made you disinterested and emotionally drained.
The study titled “Prevalence and Correlates of Depressive Symptoms Among International Students” found that 45.3% of international students exhibited clinically significant depressive symptoms, highlighting the profound effect of cultural adjustment challenges. However, adjusting to a new culture takes time, but persistent negative feelings can harm mental health. Recognizing these signs early can help seek support or counseling.
How to overcome Culture shock
It’s common to experience culture shock when you move to a foreign setting. It doesn’t mean that you are weak or that you made a wrong decision by moving abroad for international education. However, if left unaddressed, it can affect your mental health, performance and overall well being.
Here are some effective ways to help you adjust and thrive in your new environment;
- Be social:
One of the best ways to overcome culture shock and homesickness is to connect with people who can offer you friendship, guidance, and comfort. Remember, cultural differences shouldn’t be a barrier to friendship so try to make friends with host people as making new friends is a great way to get closer to your new host country and culture as you will be able to better understand them. You should also make local friends as you will learn about everyday customs, language, food and even fun spots to visit that no guide book can tell and when your mind is engaged in activities and friends so you won’t miss home as much.
Additionally, consider joining a conversation club to work on your English where you can meet students who are going through similar experiences or have already adjusted to the new culture so by sharing your challenges and feelings you can get helpful insights and emotional support which can reduce the feel of isolation. And once you’ve begun making friends, invite them to your home and cook your favorite food and enjoy together. Also, try to say yes often like accept invitations, eat unfamiliar food and offer to help out a new friend as these small efforts can go a long way in helping you feel connected and settled.
2. Connect with your family and old friends:
Culture shock doesn’t only affect international students as it can happen to anyone who moves to a new country. It’s not too old a story like just two years ago, my best friend, who is very close to me, moved to Dubai with her family. She became really depressed there and started having anxiety because she couldn’t meet me or join our friend group anymore. One day, she called me and cried a lot. I comforted her and told her to join some activity to distract her mind and help her enjoy her new experiences. Slowly, she began to feel more familiar with her surroundings. Even now, whenever she feels bored, we send each other reels, do video calls, and stay connected that way. That’s how her culture shock eventually faded away.
So it’s especially important for international students to stay connected with your friends and family. It doesn’t mean that you moved away so your relationships are over. Absolutely not, Checking in with your friends and family can bring you comfort, and it can also allow you to reduce your frustrations. They can motivate you and help you to focus on your goal. If you can’t meet in person so you can just do a video call or send voice notes to each other, that’s how you can feel close even from far away. But make sure you don’t rely too much on them so that you avoid new friends and new surroundings and be open to change and exploring this new side of things.
3. Set personal time:
Moving to a new country can be stressful and overwhelming, so it is essential to maintain your physical and mental health. Like if you’re staying in a big city, try visiting some small towns and villages or go for a drive alone on the weekend and let yourself discover new things and build new memories as moving to a new country is not easy and it is also an amazing and rewarding adventure so be proud of yourself for taking this step and for overcoming the challenges that you face.
Make sure to take care of yourself mentally, physically, and spiritually such as eat your favourite food, exercise regularly, and get enough sleep. Also, find ways to relax and unwind, such as listening to music, reading a book, or meditating. And if you are a girl then you can go to Salon for a relaxing spa treatment or a new haircut as it can boost your mood and you will feel more relaxed but if you are a boy then you can join the gym as regular exercise can help you feel more energized, improve your physical health and boost your mood which is a great way to reduce anxiety you maybe feeling due to culture shock.
4. Develop new routine:
Back home, things were easier as school was not too demanding so your schedule was more relaxed and you could do things by your own way like you could sleep too long, eat outside of regular meal times (like having snacks in the evening), and scroll on your phone late into the night without worrying much. But now, things have changed. You’ve stepped into a new chapter which is higher education, and in a whole new country.
So how do you manage it all?
With a sudden change in your routine life, it can get difficult to understand how to cope with it. Since you’re studying abroad, balance and self-control becomes important. For example, if you haven’t used your phone the whole day, it might be tempting to scroll at night but take 2 minutes and think. Staying up late means you’ll wake up late which can lead to missing important classes and lectures. That’s why you need to keep fixed timings for everything like when to wake up, when to eat, when to head to campus (at least 30 minutes before class), and even when to use your phone. Building a structured routine not only helps you to stay organized, but it also makes the adjustment to your new life smoother. Step by step, you’ll feel more settled, less overwhelmed and more in control of your experience abroad.
5. Recognise and accept it:
Let’s be honest, no country is perfect. No matter how beautiful or exciting the country is, it will eventually find a way to irritate you, even something as small as the way people walk on the street or how food is served. And that’s okay! Culture shock doesn’t mean something’s wrong with you. It means your brain is adjusting, stretching, and trying to make sense of a new culture and new environment. Instead of getting stuck in negativity. Pause, breathe, and remind yourself that this is part of the process.
Your feelings are real and valid but don’t let them take over and steal your experience. Give yourself permission to feel homesick, frustrated, or even lost, but also give yourself the time to adapt. Slowly, you’ll start feeling comfortable again. You’ll laugh with new friends, enjoy the food you once found strange, and even begin to appreciate the differences. You’ll notice a better control of your emotions, more satisfaction in your daily routine, and fewer moments of anxiety. The day will come when you’ll look around and think, “This place feels like home.” But first you have to give yourself the chance to get there.
Adjusting to a new environment takes time and patience. If you feel overwhelmed or drained, it doesn’t mean that you have made the wrong decision, instead you have made the brave choice to step out of your comfort zone. If you still feel uncomfortable and unable to cope with pressure, don’t worry. Culture shock is part of the process and it’s temporary. Once you recognise the signs, accept your emotions and take steps to manage them by making friends, exploring the city and enjoying your campus, you can prevent culture shock from harming your mental health and experience and the unfamiliar will start to feel familiar. Remember, this is just one chapter in your journey, not your whole story! And who knows? These challenges like homesickness and culture shock might become powerful learning opportunities that can increase your confidence and help you grow into a more open and resilient version of yourself.
If you’re struggling to make connections or just want to meet people who get what you’re going through, Afious is here to help. Download Afious today and start building your circle. Your new life doesn’t have to feel like a solo journey. We’re here to walk it with you.
Have you experienced culture shock? What things have helped you deal with culture shock?
Share your thoughts in the comments below.