Living abroad means dealing with normal life stress while your nervous system is chronically working overtime.
As expats, we face the same daily pressures, worries, and responsibilities as anyone else — i.e., work stress, relationship challenges, health concerns, financial decisions, and uncertainty about the future. However, we are managing these ups and downs as we navigate a new culture, live away from home, and live in a state of ongoing adaptation.
This puts extra strain on the nervous system.
What is the nervous system?
The nervous system is the part of the body responsible for detecting safety and threat, and for regulating how alert, stressed, relaxed, or emotionally overwhelmed we feel. When our environment feels safe, stable, and predictable, the nervous system can settle. When life feels uncertain, intense, or overwhelming, the nervous system becomes more activated, often triggering the fight-flight response.
Nervous system activation, via the fight-flight response, is not the problem. Rather, it is a survival mechanism that has adapted to help us stay alive and deal with pressure, change, and environmental dangers.
However, when the nervous system stays activated for long periods of time, the body does not get the chance to properly regulate. This often happens to expats, nomads, and people who lead internationally mobile lives.
You may observe that while you are highly functional, your system may remain in a state of tension, alertness, or exhaustion for months or even years. Many people identify this as anxiety, burnout, irritability or just feeling constantly on edge.
When the nervous system is under this kind of long-term strain, the most helpful approach is often not to push harder.
It is to slow down and learn how to tend to your nervous system in simple, basic ways.
When your nervous system is overwhelmed, go back to basics
When the body is stuck in a chronic state of fight-or-flight (or survival mode), people often forget to do simple things that help their bodies return to regulation.
For example, meals become irregular, sleep is disturbed, movement decreases, social contact is limited, screen time becomes more prominent, etc.
Our nervous system needs small, consistent and familiar anchors to feel safe, recover and regulate. Small, basic forms of self-care may seem incredibly simple, yet are the first step in making a difference.
You can start by checking-in with yourself by asking yourself questions like:
• Have I had a nutritious meal today?
• Have I been drinking enough water?
• Am I getting enough sleep?
• Have I showered and brushed my teeth today?
• Have I moved my body?
• Have I gone outside in the last couple days? Etc.
Ensuring that we are treating our body in a healthy way may seem incredibly simple. However, when we are overwhelmed, these are often the first things that become challenging to stay consistent on, and are the foundations of nervous system regulation.
These are the foundations of nervous system regulation.
Simple ways to tend to your nervous system while living abroad
You do not need a perfect routine.
You need consistency in small behaviours that help your body feel more stable.
Some of the most effective ways to support the nervous system are also the most basic.
•Eat regular, nutritious meals:Warm, balanced meals help the body feel grounded. Skipping meals, and leaning too heavily on fast food, keeps the nervous system in an activated state.
•Drink adequate amounts of water: Even mild dehydration can increase fatigue, irritability, and anxiety.
•Move your body: Walking, stretching, yoga, or light exercise helps release built-up stress in the system.
•Get daylight and fresh air every day: Your circadian rhythm plays a major role in mood, energy, and emotional regulation.
•Prioritise sleep as much as possible: A tired nervous system is more reactive and less resilient.
•Keep small routines: Simple habits, like morning coffee, a regular walk, cooking at home, going to bed at a similar time, help the brain register stability, which is especially important when living in a foreign environment.
•Maintain basic hygiene and self-care: Showering, getting dressed, cooking, cleaning your space are actions that help the body feel organised and safe.
•Reduce stimulation when you feel overwhelmed: Less scrolling, news, and multitasking. The nervous system cannot settle when it is in a state of constant activation.
A helpful question to ask at the end of the day
When we are overwhelmed, asking ourselves how we supported our nervous system, and listing this out, can be incredibly grounding.
Your list may include simple things like:
•I ate healthy meals
•I drank 2 litres of water
• I went on a 10,000 step walk
• I had a warm bath
• I read 10 pages of my book
• I meditated for 5 minutes
• I went to bed on time
These actions build a sense of internal stability, which many expats do not realise they are missing until their body starts to show significant signs of stress.
Basic Self-care supports nervous system regulation
Living in another country means your nervous system is often doing significant work in the background to keep us safe. Even when things are technically going well, your body may still be stressed from dealing with change, uncertainty, and the lack of familiar routines.
If you feel anxious, burnt out, or constantly on edge, it does not mean you chose the wrong life or are having problems coping.
Coming back to basic forms of self-care, such as quality sleep hygiene, soft movement, healthy meals, intentional rest and moments of stability, are key markers of safety for our nervous system.
These actions may seem simple, but they are what allow the nervous system to reset so you can keep functioning without feeling like you are always in survival mode.
Support for expats experiencing burnout, anxiety, or nervous system overload
If you notice that you feel constantly tense, exhausted, emotionally overwhelmed, or stuck in survival mode while living abroad, this is not uncommon. Living in a foreign environment places ongoing demands on the nervous system, and therapy can help.
In my work with expats and internationally mobile clients, we often focus on understanding how long-term stress, change, and uncertainty affect the body, not just the mind. A large part of the work involves learning practical ways to regulate the nervous system, create more stability, and build routines that help you feel grounded again.
If this article resonates with you, you can find more information about my work on my website.
