You've survived the 26 hour flight, been to six different surf beaches, found a fantastic house with a pool, your furniture has arrived with no breakages, the kids are loving their new schools and you've received your first pay cheque in your new currency. So . . . why are you missing your mother's cooking, in a cold sweat about a Power Point presentation you've given a hundred times before and feeling a sense of gloom and doom every time you get in the car?

Once the holiday period is over and it is time to settle down, newcomers can experience emotional and physical symptoms that hold back progress in making of friends and getting on with the jobs they came to do.

Understanding and responding to the stages of "culture shock" can counter the symptoms and avoid negative experiences. Migration is a great opportunity to improve your life and learn new perspectives. Embracing a new culture leads to a better understanding of your own way of life and stimulates personal creativity.

Adapting to a new culture occurs in stages:

1 Honeymoon - Initial feelings of excitement and adventure.

2 Isolation - Lack of local experience and information may make common challenges more difficult to solve. Transition from old to new processes takes time and can elicit feelings of dissatisfaction and loss.

3 Recognition - Identifying the cause of emotional and physical symptoms, seeking support and challenging emotional responses is the first step to turning negative experiences into positive ones.

4 Discovery - Happiness and humour return along with a sense of balance and direction. The environment becomes more familiar and there is a greater will to belong. It is easy to make reasoned evaluations of the old ways versus those of the new.

5 Integration - A solid feeling of belonging develops and the newcomer can now define him/herself in local terms and establish goals for living.

6 Independence - Complete integration into the new society and able to experience social and professional alignment in the new location.

Here are some useful tips for both avoiding and dealing with culture shock:

1  Get to know your new home and identify locations that inspire and relax you.

2  Learn the language, join a course and study the placeÕs history and culture.

3  Start a hobby, learn to do something new or rediscover a past talent.

4  Remember why you migrated and keep in mind all the benefits of being here. Be patient with yourself. Recognise that building a new life takes time and requires resilience and acceptance. Develop confidence in what you are doing and maintain your original goals and plans.

5  Develop regular physical activity and choose a team pursuit over solitary exercise.

6  Make regular contact with your own ethnic group, join a club and go to community events.

7  Maintain good relations with your family and friends at home and around the world.

8  Ask for help, find and use available resources to help you integrate and understand your new location.

9  Find a buddy in a similar situation and work together.

10  And last but not least, find any excuse you can to CELEBRATE and have fun with your family and some new friends.

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