My health has gone downhill overseas post-pandemic. Anybody else?
Posted by bspencer626@reddit | expats | View on Reddit | 41 comments
I don’t know what happened with being abroad during the pandemic, but my anxiety and stress levels have gotten so high in my current country, even though I’ve been abroad for 7+ years. It’s so bad that my health is suffering as a result. I’m planning to head back home for a bit next year, but the wait is killing me. I’m just tired of feeling sick all the time. Then I magically feel better when I visit home or go on a trip. It’s irritating.
I’ve started meditating and eating better, but my body seems to be stuck on high stress mode. My weight is slowly getting higher and higher, I’ve developed an irritable stomach that is always unhappy, and medical tests show no real problems. Sorry for the venting. I guess maybe I just needed some reassurance. I’m doing my best to finish my contract at work before leaving, but I’m really tired of feeling so off each day and trying to hold it together.
from_an_island@reddit
Seems like the travel, and community and home is doing something good to your stress hormones, allowing you to feel normal again.
Meanwhile, the isolation and lack of community/travel in your expat location and during the fake pandemic is doing something bad to your stress hormones.
Could be nice to read up how cortisol works, how to reduce cortisol levels/stress/stumilants...
People with high cortisol are basically in fight-flight mode, meaning their digestive system is being put on back-burner while all body systems are focused on elimination of the stress trigger (ie extra blood to muscles to run away from a tiger or fight it) .
NewlySwedish@reddit
Leave where you are and go somewhere where you are happy. Your body is talking to you. Listen.
jayzeeinthehouse@reddit
Been through hell and back: Remove yourself from the stress as much as possible in the healthiest ways possible: weekend trips, hobbies like cycling, getting out more, getting off of the computer and phone, watching the sunset, eating a bit better, listening to great music, chatting with friends, and evaluating the problem when you're chilled out and can look at it objectively.
Forsaken_Net_2737@reddit
Look into mold toxicity.
This is exactly what happened to me, but it was from moving into a questionable home. Could be the place you’re in is more moldy than before.
Some people also say that COVID made them more susceptible to mold illness.
Look on r/ToxicMoldExposure
Lots of people w your symptoms.
I’d suggest getting a functional practitioner to get some testing done.
Good luck
bspencer626@reddit (OP)
That is something I’ve considered since I feel so much better when I’m not in my apartment. I also moved into this apartment shortly after Covid started, so the timing makes sense. I have always just assumed it was from stress due to the pandemic that never went away.
Forsaken_Net_2737@reddit
Ugh. I’m so sorry to hear that. It is almost certainly a mold issue w your new place.
Any chance you can go back where you were staying? I’d hate for you to throw the towel in when it’s an issue that you could very well run back into getting a lease in the states
Automatic-Grand6048@reddit
I know you said you’ve had tests but wondered if you’d been tested for Coeliac disease as I had lots of these same symptoms. Doctors don’t always think to test for it. Now I’m gluten free it’s crazy that my anxiety has vanished.
Educational-Spot3908@reddit
I feel this in my very soul. The pandemic basically crushed who I was a a person and I’m struggling to find myself again. I’m still in the country I immigrated too but more and more each day I get closer to making the decision to leave. I want to finish some stuff up here before I do that because it would be more beneficial for me. But it’s another 2 years and I’m not sure how much I can take.
I have only started getting back on top of eating better but I have very low motivation in everyday life. I basically work and sleep and how the world is now is probably not helping because I don’t have the disposable income to do things that would help me out.
Basically I feel stuck so I feel you. If I could afford a trip home it would maybe help but I may never come back haha.
I also have a lot more issues with eating now. It probably a stress/anxiety thing we have going on. But it could just be the terrible quality of food
bspencer626@reddit (OP)
Yeah, everything I eat seems to upset my body in some way, even things I used to be able to eat without any problem. Then I go visit home and can eat whatever I want with no problems. 😑
Educational-Spot3908@reddit
I’m gonna take a stab in the dark and say you moved to somewhere in North America?
The food here has mostly always destroyed me but it’s been much worse since pandemic. But I can eat like a champ at home.
bspencer626@reddit (OP)
Ha, I’m actually in SE Asia. Things were going really well before the pandemic, but now I can’t wait to get out of here. I’m sure I’ll get back to the expat life after a little break, but I’m just stuck in a high-stress place mentally.
Educational-Spot3908@reddit
It was a shot in the dark after all. The food in North America messed me up getting here and I gained a ton of weight, was all those trans fats that I wasn’t used to.
I feel you though. I’ve been trying to save up for a yacht so I can just go sailing for a while and not worry about anything. Sometime in the next 100 years I’ll be able to afford it haha.
I hope you find something that brings you some peace while you’re where you’re at. It is tough dealing with things by yourself.
FreeKatKL@reddit
Have you gotten tested for SIBO? Also, your mental health may be impacting you physically. See a counselor if you aren’t already, maybe see a psychiatrist if you aren’t.
bspencer626@reddit (OP)
I haven’t. I’ve heard it about it a bit from Google searches when I try and figure out why I feel so off, but never been tested.
williamgman@reddit
Consider this... Many folks in ALL countries fell into dark spaces with covid. Social Media did not help. Many withdrew from being social IRL. Here in the US it's no different. So many are now taking psych meds and having anti-social tendencies. Another factor is having the time off from a stressful career for just enough time to realize their career path was not healthy. It's a global issue.
diedrichdove@reddit
Same thing happened to me. Health improved when I finally moved back home (permanently). Consider medication like SSRIs.
Catladylove99@reddit
Have you had your thyroid checked? I’m sorry you’re going through this.
CoffeeWithDreams89@reddit
I’m so sorry. What is waiting at home that will help your mental and physical health - will you be closer to your family, will your economic situation be better?
bspencer626@reddit (OP)
I think family and also looking towards the future with doing a Master’s degree. I feel like I’ve sort of stagnated for the last couple years.
CoffeeWithDreams89@reddit
❤️
DreadWolfByTheEar@reddit
Could you have long covid?
numb3rsnumb3rs@reddit
Something broke in me during the Pandemic. Heavy burn out, weight gain, lack of motivation, lack of energy, depression, anxiety. Even when things got “back to normal” I had been stuck with the same malaise. We were in the NL at the time and the weather, culture, and care system there were also crushing me. I can’t say the same wouldn’t have happened to be back at home but these issues definitely contributed to us deciding to leave the NL. A couple months of sunlight and good fresh food have helped me stabilize me a bit, but hot damn I think the stress of the pandemic in a foreign country was definitely a bit of a multiplier when it comes to this stuff. Now being back in a similar culture to home, that has lifted quite a bit of that passive stress. But I think finding some comfort in home makes sense. I hope things continue to get better for you.
bspencer626@reddit (OP)
I feel the same way. I was doing so well before the pandemic with being healthy and losing weight. Then the pandemic happened and I was unable to see family for a few years. Since then I’ve steadily been gaining weight, dealing with constant upset stomach/reflux, and also just feeling generally unwell. I try to be positive and work on myself, but I can’t seem to get over it. Maybe I just need a change of scenery.
Unique-Gazelle2147@reddit
I’m feeling the same too :/ you’re not alone 💜
bspencer626@reddit (OP)
I hope we can both get to a better place soon. ❤️
AccountForDoingWORK@reddit
If you haven't been masking diligently the whole time, chances are you've had COVID several times. I've seen varying literature saying anything from 20-40% of infections are asymptomatic/mild enough to be overlooked, but regardless of how mild the infections are, they absolutely wreck your immune system.
*Everyone* is more sick since COVID started. If you don't believe me, check out your countries' disability rates over the last few years.
canadian-dutchgirl@reddit
Acupuncture helped me with chronic stress. I went from suicidal, severely dissociated, never sleeping, never eating, having no physical awareness of my body to feeling mentally stable within a few months of regular sessions. After the 3rd session I felt a huge shift.
Independent_Bass7328@reddit
Imagine being an american living in the US right now.
mandance17@reddit
It’s sort of normal these days, I know tons of people either sort of depressed or anxious given the world now and things going on
bspencer626@reddit (OP)
Yeah. It all hits me way harder than it used to. Even minor issues or inconveniences are seem bigger at the moment.
Vagablogged@reddit
Worrying is like a rocking chair. It gives you something to do but doesn’t get you anywhere.
mandance17@reddit
You’re not alone, your feelings are perfectly valid and normal
PrettyinPerpignan@reddit
Are you female? I went through this because of menopause. I’m much better on HRT even took away my joint pain
bspencer626@reddit (OP)
I’m not. :/
PrettyinPerpignan@reddit
Oh well then I hope your impending move alleviates your anxiety
Glass_Confusion448@reddit
What country are you from? What country do you live in?
bspencer626@reddit (OP)
I’m American and been living in Cambodia for 7 years.
smishedbyaboulder@reddit
I went through a similar thing during the pandemic. My depression had come back and my anxiety was causing me stomach problems.
I traveled home for about 3 months, and that helped! Mostly because I had more company at home vs. me alone in my apartment during the pandemic.
After that 3-month trip, I felt “refreshed”, but I also made an effort to try to improve my life here, including trying some new medications with a psychiatrist.
Meditating and eating healthier probably helps, but I would also try to talk to a therapist or possibly a doctor about getting support with this anxiety.
I guess ultimately I just wanted to say that there is hope! I’m feeling much better these days.
bspencer626@reddit (OP)
Thank you! I think I need a bit of a break from living here. Even basic things now make me anxious here, whereas before I was so excited to be abroad.
ThrwAwyRecyclCompost@reddit
Is it perhaps something that you are eating or drinking where you live that is affecting your digestive system? When I was dating my spouse I couldn't drink the tap water at his house because it would make me violently ill because of the iron levels in the water. The solution was to buy bottled water that I could drink instead of tap water (I cringe for the environmental impact of that, but the alternative was extreme pain and vomiting).
If you feel better every time you're away from where you are living, then perhaps it is something specific to your food or drink where you are?
bspencer626@reddit (OP)
I eat and drink the same as before, but even basic things make me sick. I also don’t drink local water since it’s notoriously unsafe.