“Karli, look at how much water is in this cup.” I watched as my mentor poured water into the glass, and made it about 1/3 full. “This is what life is like for a person who doesn’t live abroad. Now this,” he said as he poured more water in, making the cup about 3/4 full, “is what life is like for global workers. For you.”

I stared at the water cup, feeling already like I understood. 

“There’s only so much more water that can be added on without the cup overflowing. So for someone living in their passport country, they might be able to handle something, but then the same thing happens to you, and it’s too much. You just don’t have the same margin and bandwidth that you used to. And that’s okay. It’s all part of this life.”

I didn’t know it at the time, but my mentor was explaining the concept of allostatic load to me, and understanding this truly changed my life. Looking at my life through this lense, and learning to recognize and mitigate my own allostatic load, became a pivotal tool for me that has kept me on the field, and is one I talk about frequently now in my work with other global workers. 

Allostatic load is defined as the cumulative burden of chronic stress and life events. It’s the combination of all your everyday stuff—traffic, language barriers, visa issues, the age of your kids, power issues, you name it. The everyday stresses that impact us over a long period of time all contribute to our allostatic load. When something unexpected happens, how much allostatic load we already carry will impact how we are able to handle that new stressor. If our load is low, perhaps we can take it in stride. But if our load is already high, something new might “overflow our glass” and tip us over the edge into unhealth and disorder. 

As my mentor exemplified with the glass of water, when we choose to move and work abroad, our allostatic load automatically increases—which means our ability to handle extra acute stress or situations is also impacted. Sometimes, the shifts in our load can be seasonal—when our kids are small, for instance, the load might be different than when they are school age. Or when school is in session, it might be different than when there is a term break. But across the board, the allostatic load of global workers is higher than those living in their passport countries. 

So, what do we do with this knowledge?

First, we name it. This is an important step. The life of a global worker comes with a high allostatic load, and we must structure our lives and have grace with ourselves and others accordingly. We can pretend that we have all the bandwidth in the world, and then be surprised when it turns out we actually don’t. Or, we can name it and come to terms with it: our baseline stress levels are higher. Our capacity is lower. This is okay! You may even find it a helpful exercise to list out your chronic stressors, just to help you see your reality more clearly.

Second, we remember it. When we find ourselves in situations where our bodies and brains aren’t responding with the flexibility or dexterity we’d like them to, we need to remind ourselves that this is normal and expected. We just don’t have the same capacity we did before, and this can become a kind of identity crisis during our time abroad if we aren’t careful to recognize this for what it is—a higher allostatic load! Remembering this can help us show grace and kindness to ourselves, and meet our struggles with gentleness and compassion.

Third, we make changes when we can. When we know our season means our allostatic load is high, we have grace with ourselves and plan accordingly. We can’t and shouldn’t do everything. And when we feel the burden of this cumulative stress, we need to remember to care well for ourselves. And when something unexpected happens that overflows our metaphorical water glass, we need to know that delegating and taking things off of our plates isn’t just okay, it’s essential for moving forward. 

As you move through your life as a global worker, take note of your current allostatic load. Is it too high, where something new might cause you harm? Maybe it’s time to think about how you could remove or mitigate some of those chronic stressors to lighten your load. Being conscious of our allostatic load allows us to care well for ourselves, anticipate issues and head them off before they become overwhelming, and show grace to those around us who are also carrying heavy loads. 

You can listen to a podcast episode where I unpack this and more with Bernie and Amy. Listen to it here.

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Guidi J, Lucente M, Sonino N, Fava GA. Allostatic Load and Its Impact on Health: A Systematic Review. Psychother Psychosom. 2021;90(1):11-27. doi: 10.1159/000510696. Epub 2020 Aug 14. PMID: 32799204.