DON’T MISS
IamExpat FairIamExpat Job BoardIamExpat Webinars
Newsletters
EXPAT INFO
CAREER
HOUSING
EDUCATION
LIFESTYLE
EXPAT SERVICES
NEWS & ARTICLES
Home
Expat Info
Dutch news & articles
Anxiety & Expat life
Never miss a thing!Sign up for our weekly newsletters with important news stories, expat events and special offers.
Keep me updated with exclusive offers from partner companies
By signing up, you agree that we may process your information in accordance with our privacy policy



Related Stories

Get grounded: How a simple practice can release anxiety and improve focusGet grounded: How a simple practice can release anxiety and improve focus
Angry or Scared? The "emotional war" of the COVID-19 pandemicAngry or Scared? The "emotional war" of the COVID-19 pandemic
The wave of joyThe wave of joy
Unpacking the feeling of shameUnpacking the feeling of shame
The beauty of our cracksThe beauty of our cracks
Being open: A way out of sufferingBeing open: A way out of suffering
From depression to expression From depression to expression
From anxiety to openness- how to be emotionally free againFrom anxiety to openness- how to be emotionally free again
For expats of all colours, shapes and sizes

Explore
Expat infoCareerHousingEducationLifestyleExpat servicesNews & articles
About us
IamExpat MediaAdvertisePost a jobContact usSitemap
More IamExpat
IamExpat Job BoardIamExpat HousingIamExpat FairsWebinarsNewsletters
Privacy
Terms of usePrivacy policyCookiesAvoiding scams

Never miss a thing!Sign up for expat events, news & offers, delivered once a week.
Keep me updated with exclusive offers from partner companies
By signing up, you agree that we may process your information in accordance with our privacy policy


© 2025 IamExpat Media B.V.
© 2025 IamExpat Media B.V.
Somesh Valentino Curti
I am a certified therapist who helps expats facing difficulties in everyday life abroad: Anxiety and emotional instabilities; Relationship & couple counseling; Sexuality issues; Addictions. I graduated from the University of Torino as a Clinical and Community Psychologist in 2005. For 4 years I worked as a psychologist for immigrants and addicts at a non-profit organization in Torino, Italy. After this intense experience I decided to travel and work abroad. In 2010 I worked as counselor, body-worker and meditation facilitator in different meditation centers in India and in Greece. After that I moved to Amsterdam and I started working as an Expat Therapist, which entails psychological support in English and Italian for expats. My approach is multidisciplinary and involves western psychotherapy, eastern meditation and body-oriented techniques. I am a member of NIP and Europsy and a certified Relationship & Sex Counselor. As a therapist and expat I am confident that I can pass on all I gained during the past intense years to individuals and couples facing difficulties in everyday life. Read more

Anxiety & Expat life

Dec 9, 2013

In my work as a psychologist in Amsterdam, I often help and support people with anxiety disorders: panic attacks, chronic agitation, stress, psycho-physical tensions, insomnia, etc.

All these conditions are becoming more and more frequent and, indeed, very present in our daily life. They are no longer alterations or disorders, but rather normal things:
› "I'm stressed out!"
› "I can’t handle it anymore!"
› "What a hectic life, always in a rush!"
› "I am completely burnt out!"

What is happening to us? Why are we living in a constant state of anxiety?

Crisis & Anxiety

Anxiety is an increasingly common experience in our society. We are frustrated by the fact that we dedicate a lot of our energy to jobs that we don’t like. And when we do like them, it seems that our effort is never enough.

Our lives are changing either too fast or not at all, despite our hard work. The possibility of a family, a career or a new job seems impossible. We have to pay exorbitant rent and, in some cases, we must save money to send support to our family and friends back home.

› "Do I have to accept that I have to do more and be paid less?"
› "Will I ever find a job that satisfies me?"
› "When will I be able to start a family and settle down?"

This insecurity creates stress and we experience an inconsistency between what we want and what society asks of us.

This is where anxiety sneaks in...

Anxiety & Expat life

Being an expat is not simple, not only because of all the practical problems that we have to face, but also because of the intensity with which we live all the emotional situations that we can get involved in: loneliness, conflicts at work or in a relationship, difficulties in adapting to a new culture, misunderstandings, fear of the future, stress, dissatisfaction, and so on.

Abroad, we don’t have our family, cultural references, favourite places and food, and a network of old friends. We miss the feeling of being psychologically and emotionally rooted in a territory. This situation can bring up emotions of isolation and loneliness. As expats, we can be more susceptible to these types of suffering.

Living abroad reveals our insecurities and fears, and we often move to another country just because we want to escape from them... Only to realise, later on, that this is not a solution, and that we took these feelings along with us in our suitcase!

What is anxiety?

Anxiety is a temporary phenomenon in the psycho-physical system. It can express itself in a chronic way or can suddenly strike as a panic attack.

If it shows up in your life, it creates the urgency to take care of yourself and invites you to be more involved in what happens inside you.

Anxiety "strongly" pushes you to abandon all the old patterns (attitudes, behaviours, habits, etc.) that don’t suit you anymore, in order to make room for the new ones that are pressing to emerge.

What is important is to see that anxiety comes and goes and not to be afraid of it. In fact, the fear of fear is the first obstacle that must be removed.

Removing the old

Imagine you are living in a house full of old objects: what would it be like? There is dust everywhere, you can hardly move, you could get injured, you can’t breathe easily...

After a while, you can’t stand it anymore (here anxiety sets in) and you want to be free of this feeling. However, the problem is not the feeling; actually, the feeling is a good thing. The real problem is all the old things you needs to remove!

In a sense, anxiety can be seen as positive, because it starts your engine, so to speak. The psyche uses the language of suffering as the only possible way to draw your attention to what is really important. Anxiety reveals an urgency. It's up to you not to let it scream for too long!

New foundation: your body

Anxiety is characterised by superficial and gasping breath, frenetic mind activity and emotional tension.

Bodywork, breathing and meditation exercises could be the beginning of a new foundation, a new grounding. These tools help reduce the symptoms of anxiety and allow energy to go flow to the lower part of your body: legs, pelvis area and belly.

New foundation: your emotions

Together with bodywork, it is important to get in touch with and express our emotions in a more intimate and conscious way.

You can do this by opening up more to the important people in your life and sharing the feelings that are hidden behind the wall of anxiety. While exploring our inner world, we can give ourselves a chance to drop our defences and open up to healing.

Some suggestions

› Don’t be afraid of your symptoms, rather, have a look at your lifestyle and ask yourself: is there something that I can change to reduce my symptoms?

› Talk about what is happening to you with the important people in your life and describe how these symptoms make you feel.

› Train yourself to be watchful and get some distance from the anxiety you are experiencing. You are not your symptoms; fear and anxiety are just phenomena passing by.

› Go back to the body and connect with nature. When you walk, for example, bring your awareness to your feet and to your legs, relax your breath and slow down. Nothing is more important than what you need at this moment.

› If the symptoms persist and you feel you need support, therapy could be a laboratory in which you can open up and then implement the insights that you get.

By Somesh Valentino Curti