The Dark Side Of Being a Digital Nomad

When people see you doing the nomad thing, they often think you have a blast 24/7 — making it hard to be vulnerable about sharing mental health or life struggles. However, when you do open up, you will find that some people’s responses are around the lines of:

“But, you are living the dream! I would do anything to have your life.”

There are struggles that nomads share — which does not make us less grateful for “living the dream.” Let me tell you about some of them.

Social Struggles:

I am lucky enough to do be doing the nomad life along with my partner. Nonetheless, I have struggled with loneliness quite a bit. It can be challenging to feel part of a community when constantly moving from one place to another. It’s also hard to have meaningful connections with friends and family considering time differences and the barrier of physical contact. As a result, most relationships begin to feel somewhat superficial.

If you are an introvert, your social support system can become nonexistent — considering it is already hard to maintain the work/life balance even when you are an extrovert.

When you plant your roots in one place, it is way easier to keep your group of friends because, for the most part, you are not going anywhere, and they are not going anywhere. But when you are a nomad, you find yourself working crazy hours for one reason or another. After a long day of work, the last thing you want to do is perform in a social environment.

On another note, it feels pretty nice to have silence after some time alone and not deal with people’s opinions. Yet, after a while, you begin to feel the silence quite loud. There is no one around to offer their two cents or idea about anything. So, you have to make efforts to consult with others; this is not a terrible thing, but you can get lost in it if you are unaware.

Finally, language barriers and the constant moving around act as barriers to gaining access to local communities.

SOLUTIONS:

• Join a community for nomads. I belong to NomadList
• Schedule set time to talk to loved ones
• Force yourself to go outdoors and visit a social place (at least once a week)
• Find a safe spot in your city to visit frequently

Mental Health Struggles:

Many studies support that loneliness and lack of a social network can increase your mental health issues. The nonstop movement from place to place can affect your stress hormones, causing anxiety, inflammation, sleep issues, and others. Moreover, the lack of routine can interfere with keeping up with activities of daily living.

If you are already diagnosed with a mental illness, isolation from society can make it worse. Why? Because there is no one around to challenge you, call you out, give you feedback, help, or shake you off.

Bursting feelings of inadequacy, insecurities, perceived deficiencies, and imposter syndrome happen to all of us from time to time. As a nomad, you do get to get away with distracting from these emotions, for you spend SO MUCH TIME WITH YOURSELF that you can become utterly self-critical. When alone in a foreign country, you are at the center of your attention (good and bad).

The so-called FOMO (fear of missing out) also triggers these emotions of inadequacy. As when you see the world changing without you in it, you could find yourself questioning whether this is the right path for you and if you are faking it all.

If you are a digital nomad struggling with a mental illness or suspect of having one, do not hesitate to get counseling services. BetterHelp offers affordable therapy in numerous countries. They make counseling easy by providing video call, phone call, and messaging sessions. Get one week free of services by clicking here.

SOLUTIONS

• Find a therapist
• Connect with your spirituality
• Include self-care in your routine

Monetary/Work struggles:

It is NOT easy to manage a business online on your own. Yes, we have unique strengths and skills that make lifestyle happen, but we certainly do not have them all.

In my case, I have language and pronunciation barriers. I am not very skilled in the finance and administrative aspect of a business. I am not big on IT and things that happen behind the scenes of a website. These are all things that I can learn and improve; however, there is not always enough time in a day to accomplish all goals. So more often than not, these deficiencies get in the way of taking our business to the next level at a fast rate.

Inferiority issues can also affect your finances. For example, although we travel to unique destinations, it is impossible to always enjoy it to the max (it is unsustainable to be on vacay mode all the time). However, sometimes that inferiority complex hits us too hard, and we say f*ck it and do the whole Shabam, which can compromise our wallet significantly.

Can you relate?

You put yourself at risk of struggling with chronic burnout or addiction. As a nomad, you are likely hustling to make money, which could put you at risk for burnout or becoming a workaholic. To me, work feels fun because it has a nice reward ($$$$), and the more you do it, the bigger the prize. I have often found myself unable to stop working and feeling empty when I am not working. Sometimes even guilty when I am not working.

— This does not sound healthy as I write it.

SOLUTIONS

• Consult with experts on finances (you would be surprised to find people willing to help without overcharging)
• Work on self-confidence
• Identify and own your skills and strengths
• Take a good break every other week
• Assess yourself for burnout
• Engage in a hobby (no-work-related)

Physical & Medical health:

Taking care of your physical health seems to come with more work than it used to before this lifestyle — which was already enough. Finding an adequate gym in every new place is a mission, and the quality of food is constantly changing; thus, your body may go through changes. Getting health insurance can take a few clicks, but you never really establish a network of medical providers.

If you get sick, mom will not be around to make you chicken soup. Also, no one will give you sick days if you get sick, so you may have to push through the sickness to get some work hours. Finally, note that in some countries, it can be challenging to get access to certain medications.

Changing locations so frequently can cause a toll on your body. For instance, some studies suggest that frequent exposure to drastic time changes can mess up your hormones, causing menstrual issues. Not only that, but throughout our traveling journeys, we may be exposed to more illnesses, viruses, and infections than those who stay settled.

Not to forget that your eyes and your whole body begin to ache from so much computer time.

SOLUTIONS

• Stay on top of your health
• Choose better foods and exercise/stretch daily
• Take your vitamins
• Pay for medical insurance
• Protect your vision and watch your posture

Nomad Nightmares

What now? Did you lose your credit card, your passport, or your computer charger? Do you not have an adapter for this new country? Does the wifi suck everywhere? Or maybe this time, your flight got canceled, and you have nowhere to sleep tonight? Oh no! maybe you got COVID, so you have to cancel all your upcoming travel plans without a refund?

SOLUTIONS

• Learn to live with uncertainty
• Meditate more often
• Save money to cover up for #NomadNightmares

I hope I am not coming off as a Debby-downer. I am so privileged to call myself a Digital Nomad and live on permanent vacation. I am absolutely grateful to have a say on where I work from, meet new people, and expand my senses and knowledge about the world.

But I cannot deny the fact that I am a therapist. It is in my nature (and it is my duty) to encourage vulnerability, increase mental health awareness, have a #realtalk, and be a genuine role model.

Daniela Marin | Licensed Therapist