28% of Recent Immigrants Reported Poor or Fair Mental Health with Lower Levels of Self-reported Mental Health Compared to Long-time Canadians [1] – Immigration Stress, Struggles and Strengths
So you decided to move to Vancouver or another area of the Lower Mainland. Perhaps it was exciting and you could not wait to move. Perhaps you felt ambivalent and decided to come because it was a good move for family, or perhaps you did not want to come at all.
And then you arrive and reality sets in. Sometimes there is an initial euphoric high and then it wears off leaving you low. Sometimes the pain of missing home is just so hard. You may have come without a job and then have the stress and strain of wondering if your skills and experience will ever be recognized here. You may have come with a job in hand and now have to fit in to a new workplace, find new friends and create that sense of belonging that is vital to mental well-being.
Settling can take time. If you moved during COVID the research quoted above in the blog title meant you were more likely to be struggling with mental well-being than long-time Canadians. The impact of that could have lasted long past the end of the pandemic.
Even if you moved and desired the change there is loss as you create a new sense of self in a new environment, let go of the old you and the familiar and yet want to hold onto aspects of who you were in the place you came from. You may be asking yourself questions like:
- Will I ever feel like I fit in? I feel so isolated/lonely.
- Who can I really depend on here?
- Why do I feel so sad when I really wanted this move?
- How come all these things from the past that I thought were behind me are coming up for me right now?
- How do I help my family adjust and settle in?
- Why am I feeling so anxious?
- How come I am not getting on with my partner when everything was fine before we moved?
- I have been living here for awhile now, how come I still feel so torn between Canada and [insert where you were living before]?
- It's time to make a decision – should I stay or should I go back?
- I love it here but I feel guilty about leaving my family and not being there to help – how do I manage it?
All of these questions are so normal depending on where you are at in the cultural adjustment process. Which “H” sounds like where you are at right now?[2]
- The Honeymoon Stage – everything is new and exciting – what could possibly go wrong?
- The Hostility Stage (Culture Shock or Crisis) – the euphoria has worn off and you feel angry, frustrated, anxious or sad. You miss what was left behind or you may be weary of always having to face new challenges in an unfamiliar environment. You may also notice that some of the issues you faced at home did not go away when you moved as you may have hoped.
- The Humour Stage (Adjustment) – things have started to get easier as you begin to understand your new setting, make connections and you may be able to laugh at some of the initial difficulties you faced.
· The Home Stage (Acceptance) – you feel at home but may also be able to balance having an identity that is both tied to your new culture and the one you came from. You know that you can feel ambiguity and loss but still function and thrive.
If you are relatively new to Canada you may be going through the four “H’s” for the first time. Even if you have been here for awhile you may have found yourself back in the “H’s” because you are going through a new experience like becoming a parent.
At Hawthorn Counselling we have a sense of what it can feel like at each stage (well, we don’t actually know because your experience is unique to you, but we have asked ourselves the same questions) because we have also gone through the experience of emigrating. We offer counselling for immigrants in Vancouver and the Lower Mainland (or other parts of BC if you want remote counselling).
I spent 15 years in Ireland before moving back to Canada in 2011 and still sometimes feels torn between there and here. I wonder if the 2420 recent Irish immigrants to BC in 2021 (and even more since then) feel similarly (https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/). I have noticed an increase in folks from Ireland coming to counselling. I want to use my bicultural understanding to offer counselling for Irish newcomers to promote mental health for this growing community alongside those who have been settled here for a longer time.
My colleague here at Hawthorn, Victoria, also has experienced the struggles of immigration. She says, “What I found hardest was coming back to Canada when I was 18 after living abroad. I did not want to come back and it was reverse culture shock. I felt disengaged, sad and had reverse homesickness.”
Research shows that recent immigrants are less likely than long-time Canadians to access mental health care and that this access may be crucial to avoiding weakening of what researchers call the “healthy immigrant effect” (Ng and Zhang, 2021).[3] This effect is where newcomers arrive in good mental and physical health, but have declines over time, typically due to obstacles like employment barriers, lack of sense of belonging, feeling isolated and/or racism. Accessing mental health care/counselling can help address the emotions that come with these obstacles.
Lack of access can be due to not knowing about where to find care or feeling a stigma to seeking help. At Hawthorn Counselling we want you to feel a sense of welcome, acceptance and belonging that can filter into your day-to-day life. And we want you to know that we see your strengths. It takes a lot of skill and resilience to make it in a new place, even more if you were not sure or felt like you had no choice but to come here. We can help you use your strengths to grow your hope.
Counselling can offer you a confidential, peaceful, caring, calm and listening space where you can take a breath and reflect on everything that is going on for you. It is a place of learning that you already have what you need to grow and change. You are not broken, abnormal or unworthy of help. You are courageous to seek help. You can develop new skills or a new sense of compassion for your struggles that can help you see yourself and others in a new light.
Besides counselling what are some ideas for helping to navigate settling in? It seems obvious, but develop your networks. A sense of belonging is key. Got a hobby? Find a group here that meets up to do it. Do you want more formal support and community connection? Find a settlement organization that has lots of programming that you can get involved in or resources you can access. Some organizations are:
- I/CAN - Irish Canadian Immigration Centre for Irish newcomers - https://www.irishcanadianimmigrationcentre.org/
- DIVERSEcity - free language, employment, counselling and social opportunities for newcomers - https://www.dcrs.ca/
- MOSAIC - also provides many free settlement services for newcomers to Vancouver and the Lower Mainland - https://mosaicbc.org/
Never done counselling and feeling a bit apprehensive? Schedule a free consultation with us now so we can demystify the counselling experience and you can meet a friendly face - https://hawthorncounselling.ca/appointment-request
Done counselling before and want to continue the journey? Schedule a free consultation and see if we are the right fit for you https://hawthorncounselling.ca/appointment-request
We look forward to meeting you.
Céad Míle Fáilte!
Bem-vindo!
Bienvenido!
Bienvenue!
1 Evra, R. and E. Mongrain. (2020). Mental Health Status of Canadian Immigrants during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Statistics Canada. https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/45-28-0001/2020001/article/00050-eng.htm and Ng E, Zhang H. The mental health of immigrants and refugees: Canadian evidence from a nationally linked database. Health Rep. 2020 Aug 19;31(8):3-12. doi: 10.25318/82-003-x202000800001-eng. PMID: 32816413.
2 https://www.participatelearning.com/blog/the-4-stages-of-culture-shock/
3 Ng E, Zhang H. The mental health of immigrants and refugees: Canadian evidence from a nationally linked database. Health Rep. 2020 Aug 19;31(8):3-12. doi: 10.25318/82-003-x202000800001-eng. PMID: 32816413.