The COVID-19 pandemic has altered the world in 2020 and impacted everyone in one way or another. One group that has had a serious impact on is ex-pats as this is a group that have connections in at least two places around the world. Whether they have plans to move, they fear for loved ones back home or are concerned about the situation in their new home, ex-pats all around the world will be feeling stressed and anxious about the pandemic. Here are a few helpful tips which will hopefully help them to manage during this difficult time.

Keep in Touch with Loved Ones

One of the hardest things for ex-pats during the pandemic is worrying about their loved ones back home. They will likely be worrying about you too, which is why it is so important to keep in touch during this difficult period. Video calls are the best way to do this, but even the occasional email keeping each other updated is helpful for stress.

Stay Current but Avoid Over Consuming the News

Everyone has a responsibility to stay aware of the situation, what steps they should be taking to protect themselves and public health and what the latest developments are, but it is very easy to spend all day every day reading/watching/listening to the news. Doing this can actually do more damage than good and cause a tremendous amount of stress and anxiety about a situation which is largely out of your own control. Instead, try to stay current and abide by the restrictions where you are and limit your news intake each day.

Use COVID Safe Shipping

If you have plans to move during the pandemic or you want to move possessions from one country to another, it is understandable that this is causing a lot of stress and anxiety as this might seem like an impossible or unsafe thing to do. This is not the case, as you can use COVID safe shipping through specialists like 1st Move, which will involve a unique no-touch shipping method which uses shrink-fast packaging. This means that your items will arrive untouched by third parties and without the need for isolating or disinfecting goods so that you can start using them as soon as they come.

Explore Safely

If you are moving during the pandemic or only recently arrived then, it will be incredibly frustrating as you will not be able to start leading the life that you had originally planned for. It is still possible to start exploring and to find your bearings, though, even if this is simply by going out for a walk each day. As mentioned before, always stay current and abide by the guidelines no matter where you are in the world.


Meet New People Online

Another major concern that ex-pats will have if they have only recently arrived is feeling lonely with so many restrictions in place. The internet is a brilliant resource for ex-pats even before the pandemic as it is a great way to meet other people in the local area while staying safe and practicing social distancing. This will help you to start building relationships so that when you can meet up safely, it will be easy for you to do so.

Look into Healthcare

While you will always hope that your health will not become an issue, but you must look into healthcare as an ex-pat in case you were to catch COVID-19 or experience any other kind of health issue during the pandemic. Health insurance is essential for an ex-pat at any time, but never more so than now, and you also need to look into your healthcare options in terms of registering with a facility nearby. You need to look after your health during this time by sticking to the guidelines, exercising regularly, eating a healthy diet and getting enough sleep.

Be Patient

Finally, you must be patient. The pandemic will have greatly interfered with your life, and this is frustrating, but it is an incredibly serious situation and one which needs to be taken seriously. Although it is tough to say exactly what the near future holds, there are reasons to be optimistic that life will start to return to normal next year, so now is a time for patience.

Hopefully, these tips will be useful to ex-pats during the pandemic and help you to manage during this difficult time, stay as safe as you can and hang in there.

 

 

Image Source: BigStock.com (Licensed)

 

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