Ways to Minimize or Overcome Culture
Shock
1 Be
aware that culture shock exists, and that given time, it will
pass.
2
Get to know yourself, how you handle conflict, your
communication style, your tolerance of ambiguity, etc.
3
Try to be open-minded and flexible. People, places, and things
are different, not right or wrong.
4
Appreciate diversity, rather than fear or shy away from it.
5
Prepare yourself for adjustment. Make up your mind to neither
resist the new culture nor surrender completely to it.
6
Remember that the cause of the problems you are experiencing is
as much your reaction to the situation as the situation itself.
7
Try experiencing the uneasiness you feel as something
positive. You have chosen to challenge yourself and broaden your
experiences, and your daily struggles prove that this is
precisely what is happening! This is normal; embrace it, and see
what you can learn from it about your surroundings and about
yourself.
8
Realize that the anxiety and disorientation you feel is normal.
You are not the first to go through a cultural adjustment
process.
9
Keep busy. Plan to do things that you enjoy. Set goals for
yourself, learning ten new phrases in a new language, for
example, and stick to them. Your sense of accomplishment will
help to re-establish your self-esteem.
10
Maintain a sense of humor. Learning to laugh at yourself and a
situation will help diffuse your sense of discomfort, ambiguity,
or adversity. |
