How to deal with stress when moving to Oman

Moving abroad is no easy feat. Everyone has their own ways of dealing with stress, so we invite you to share some insights regarding this topic.

What are the main factors that contribute to stress when moving to Oman (cultural adaptation, moving with family, administrative and bureaucratic issues, language differences, etc.)?

What activities would you recommend to help deal with this type of stress?

What are some techniques that have helped you deal with stress?

Is there a way to avoid being stressed out or anxious when moving to Oman?

Thank you for sharing your experience.

Priscilla

i am working here in Salalah .. it is nice city .. all people come here ... no problem to make anything you want .. you are safe and free here

I found this blog post that I find it very helpful - ***

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Hi sister my best advice to you on moving to oman is best you don't have to be panic because oman is a very simple and has full liberty. Country has good facilities and simple rules for expatriates. There are many expatriates living their lives smoothly in oman .it best to don't think much and stress because in foreign country always you are safe and more importantly you should focus more on job or career or business development. It is safe always when you live in foreign country do not par limits so that locals should not be disturbed .coming to culture and language it is not mandatory to learn Arabic people know English well in fact there is some communication gap may occur but still it's not much difficult.food and restaurants are so sophisticated and delicious Arabic food items you can avail. Vital thing you should care about company you are working with .

Hi, Well it's been a good 4 months now for me to settle down in Oman. I could find any thing worth complaining in this country. The people are good, the culture is good. However the initial few months could be painful staying away from friends and family so my advice to expats coming to oman would be to find and make friends as soon as possible to get over it. Next to kill dependency apply and get a Driving license as soon as possible. Once done nobody can stop you from Chilling in Oman

Today in Oman, the greatest stress is "Omanisation" programme initiated by the Government in all sections of employment. While this a requirement from the local perspective and the rising unemployment within the local community, the steps taken largely on several profession is quite harsh. I do not deny Oman is a beautiful country and Omanis are gem of people. But of late the locals have learnt how to keep the expats away. Of late one can witness the low paying jobs are with mostly Asians, specially from Bangladeshis. If an Expat gets to know he is being over utilised, it's time he gets back to his country.  Nobody can be blamed, the economic situation is leading that way.  As of today, over 30,000 reasonably educated Omanis are unemployed. Hence all kinds of restrictions do arise.  It is advisable to respectably hand over to the young Omanis and get back, should there be too much stress in the work place. Oman is a great place to live, no doubt the local people too very tolerant with the expat community.  I have written this without any malice on my Omani Brothren, with due respects to them and the country. With kind regards to everyone in Oman.

My opinion of Oman is somewhat of a mixed bag.

I have found the processes and laws of the system to be quite bureaucratic. I have been having an issue finalising my medical and the red tape and secrecy around some of the processes is quite frankly shocking.
I'm accustomed to a much higher degree of transparency and professionalism in South Africa.

The language is a minor issue as the level of English fluency from person to person can vary quite dramatically but most people can seem to understand a reasonable amount of English which makes communication and getting around a relatively simple process. I am also using Google translate to cover for those instances where communication breaks down.

The uncertainty around my medical and being without my family are the two hardest issues as I had originally planned to bring my family up within one month but now it seems like it will take a bit longer.

To their credit the Omani people are generally quite friendly and accommodating.
The country is safe which is a big plus and Sohar is developing, which is good as long as its managed properly.
The infrastructure and quality of the urban environment, roads, buildings etc is not bad. The design is a bit strange though as I have generally not seen any fly-overs, interchanges and properly designed slip ways. So I guess the civil engineering or town planning is not as good as it should be.
The roads are in good condition but one of my gripes is that there's a general lack of sidewalks in a lot of areas.
The buildings are all rather square shaped and utilitarian which looks somewhat drab and boring.
South Africa's urban areas in the cities are much better designed, modern and way more aesthetically pleasing but I think the high density of greenery and cultivated parks and gardens contributes significantly to that.

In terms of stress I am dealing with it through utilising the support of my family.

Hi Priscilla,

Oman is very different from other gulf countries. People here are very friendly and peaceful. Regarding homesickness, best you can do is to start some hobby like music, photography etc. Try to connect with people as much as possible.

I started photography here and got better with time and it really helped me a lot. Now I am teaching photography here.

Don't be anxious about moving here. It's a very nice country.