Suffering From Stress?

Here are the signs that you may be overwhelmed by stress, plus top tips on how to manage those feelings.

- Amy Greenburg

We all experience some forms of stress. Even with the great opportunities that come with living as expats here in Singapore, the lifestyle still comes with everyday anxieties; for example, worrying about finances and job security, paying school fees or fretting about a family member’s health back home. Add in work projects and deadlines, fussy-eating kids and tantrumming toddlers, and a frequently travelling partner, and you’ve got yourself a plentiful pile-up of stress-inducing issues.

Dr Rebecca Daly, a UK-trained GP at International Medical Clinic (IMC) Katong, sees patients dealing with all kinds of worries. But, the threshold to become overwhelmed by stress is different for us all, as are the triggers, she explains.

“Culture shock, a sense of loneliness and losing your personal support network may affect how you cope with stress as an expat,” says Dr Daly. “Often, people portray a happy image to new friends and loved ones back home, despite feeling overwhelmed on the inside.”