New Country, New Challenges: Prioritizing Mental Health for Expat Kids

Moving to a new country changes a lot more than just your address. For expat kids like me, it means learning to fit into a place where the language, culture, and even the small everyday things feel unfamiliar. People see the “adventure” side of it, but they don’t always see how tough it can be on their mental health.

When you leave your home country, you also leave friends, family traditions, and the comfort of knowing how things work. Suddenly, you’re the “new kid” again, figuring out everything from how to greet people to how to find your way around school. It can be exciting one moment and exhausting the next.

Starting over means building friendships from scratch, and sometimes it feels like no one understands what you’ve left behind. That’s why mental health matters so much for kids in this situation.

It’s not a weakness to feel sad, anxious, or overwhelmed. It’s normal. What helped me the most was talking to someone I trust.

We need safe spaces, whether at home, school, or online, where we can be honest about what we’re going through.