Stress problems in digital nomads: possible causes and what to do

For many people, digital nomads represent the perfect way to live life. The idea of ​​being able to work while traveling around the world and without having to depend on a specific workplace thanks to the options that da Internet is something that leads to idealize the new professions of the digital era: influencers, programmers, image and video editors, etc

However, this way of developing professional careers is not without drawbacks, and is linked to certain forms of discomfort that other people do not have to face (or face to a lesser extent). Therefore, in this article we will give a review of the typical stress problems among digital nomads, and the tips that can help you deal with them.

Main causes of stress in digital nomads

These are the most common triggers and causes of stress among digital nomads. To all of them we must add the fact that as this way of working is relatively new, there is still little talk about this type of problem. and most of the people who start living in this way do not have much information to prevent the appearance of these experiences.

1. Problems due to inconsistency in work schedules

Digital nomads often have to coordinate with teams of people spread across other time slotsThat is, they must learn strategies to work asynchronously and deal with moments of communication lag. They tend to suffer more frequently from production bottlenecks (for example, having to wait for a certain person to connect to the Internet before continuing to make progress on a project), misunderstandings for having started work before reading a certain message written hours before, etc

• Related article: "What is the Psychology of work and organizations?"

2. Greater exposure to the unexpected

Another major cause of stress and anxiety among digital nomads it is at its greatest exposure to situations that they would never have foreseen because they are linked to a social context that they are unaware of; for example, the fact of having to take certain precautions before getting into a taxi, or the difficulties in accessing ingredients that they know and with which they know how to cook, etc. They may seem like small details, but since there are so many experiences, it is easy for them to produce a cumulative effect. and psychological exhaustion of which at first they are not even aware.

3. Uprooting can generate a feeling of social isolation

Being surrounded by another culture can be very stimulating and interesting in a principle, but it is one thing to experience that as a tourist and another thing to live it as a resident in the country. As the days go by in a State far removed from everything that is familiar to us, in most cases a feeling of vulnerability and alienation appears that makes us feel alone and somewhat unprotecteds. This feeling can be cumulative if, looking back, we realize that most of the social relationships we have maintained are with other people with little roots in the place or who have stayed to live in places they may never have visited. let's go back.

• You may be interested in: "Ulysses syndrome: chronic stress in immigrants"

4. Unclear distinction between private life and professional facet

This is a classic of anxiety and stress problems; in fact, it affects both digital nomads and people who telework and the self-employed in general. If the fact of not having a clear schedule is already a source of discomfort because it leads us to have to stop and think about whether certain experiences must be lived as part of our private life or our professional life, to this we must add the parkinson's law: in the absence of clear time references, working hours tend to expand to occupy all available time (and as a result, we end up dedicating almost the entire day to our work facet).

5. Tensions when trying to maintain stable ties with loved ones

Most digital nomads leave loved ones in their home countries, and try to combine their lifestyle defined by freedom of movement, on the one hand, with the maintenance of these links, on the other, can generate conflicts. There are many who feel guilty for spending a lot of time away from their family and friends, or even who notice that they cause discomfort in their marriages or courtships from spending weeks in a row away from home and suffer psychological wear and tear from managing these discussions recurring.

6. Need to deal with bureaucratic processes to work in another country

Although there are supranational structures such as the European Union that have invested efforts to facilitate the flow of workers between States members, even in them you have to carry out certain procedures every time you have to move from one nation to another, unless the stay is less than a few few moths.

In the worst case, you even have to obtain a work visa to pay taxes from the country recipient, and in the best of cases, documentation must be obtained to pay taxes and obtain coverage sanitary. If there are problems in this process (which can take several weeks), the digital nomad is exposed to situations of lack of protection or even possible sanctions for not reaching certain deadlines.

• Related article: "Types of stress and its triggers"

Tips to manage stress if you are a digital nomad

If, due to your preferences and type of profession, you have decided to embrace the lifestyle of a digital nomad, keep these stress management tips in mind on a day-to-day basis.

1. Use communication protocols

Every digital nomad must apply clear online communication protocols to coordinate with their clients, partners and collaborators, so that misunderstandings and obstacles do not arise that hinder fluidity when work. For example, it is advisable to agree from the beginning which real-time messaging platform you will use to talk about everything related to work (Telegram, Slack, WhatsApp…), how to label specific instructions so that it is easy to search for the most relevant thing that has been said in the last few hours (for example, use predefined hashtags or use mentions with at for the tasks assigned to each person), use a channel dedicated solely to the urgent so as not to mix information, etc

Definitely, you have to work following clear protocols to avoid problems of lack of organization and use it from the beginning, without waiting for the first incidents to appear.

2. Try to maintain a very clear and stable sleep schedule

Many stress problems stem from a lack of rest. And this, in turn, can be produced by an unstructured schedule due to jet lag or habits generated in another region subject to another time zone, something that happens a lot among nomads digital. That's why, the ideal is to redo the sleep schedule as soon as we move to another distant region, clearly defining when we should wake up and go to bed.

3. Schedule video call sessions in advance

It is important not to let the affective relationships maintained for years deteriorate with the passing of the months away. To do this, it is advisable to reserve certain times of the week to make video calls, making it a routine between family and friends. This is not only satisfactory when making these virtual meetings, but also means that as digital nomads we do not feel so alone and vulnerable to the be aware that we have a strong social support network who can help us even from a distance or, if necessary, meet with us in the face of severe problems.

4. Try to maintain social relationships with a culturally diverse social circle

If you only hang out with people where you recently moved, you're more likely to get culture shock. The best thing to do to keep stress and anxiety at bay is to interact with people of different countries, and if possible, that part of them are from your place of origin, at least in a start. Today there are many apps to make friends that will help you in this process.

5. If you can't handle stress, go to a psychologist

Luckily, today there is the possibility of having online psychological assistance services for video call, so you don't have to change psychologists every time you move to another city to another country.