Dear Aileen, I am feeling a bit stressed from being away from my family and the long hours I work. How can I cope better with life here abroad? - Clara, Kowloon

Hello Clara!

Let's firstly address the causes of your stress, which seem to be, 1) homesickness and 2) long working hours.

1. Being away from family for years at a time is very difficult and can take a heavy toll on our emotional and mental well-being.

A huge percentage of migrant workers in Hong Kong are women, and most of these women are mothers who have left their children back in their home country. No doubt, it is a big sacrifice they make in order to secure a better life for their family. However, with the advent of social media, it has at least become easier to communicate with our loved ones back home.

Make sure you send them messages or call them often and keep yourself updated with their lives. Listen to your husband or children who might be struggling with home life or school, and offer them your advice. Tell them you care about them and that you love them everyday, if you can. It is a way for you to be involved in their lives, despite being far away from them.

2. As for the long working hours, there are a number of organisations that continue to actively campaign for better working hours.

The growing number of migrant workers who are voicing their concerns about this is encouraging, but we are still far from the government implementing such legislation. In the meantime, if you are comfortable in doing so, you can have a chat with your employer and tell them you feel like you are not getting enough rest, which ultimately affects your work performance during the day. Many employers will be more understanding of this, if you let them know about your concerns.

As for coping with life abroad, if this is your first time here in HK, you can use your day off to discover the city and try to familiarise yourself with the place. The tramway is one of the cheapest and best options to traverse Hong Kong Island and the MTR is one of the most affordable and efficient subway systems in the world. If you like being outdoors, there are outlying islands, beaches, hiking trails and parks that you can visit for free. Speak to other migrants who live here, or join the multitude of community groups and initiatives that are aimed at migrant workers (check out our listings on Pangyao here. There are also NGOs that offer courses and workshops, if you wanted to enhance your skills and increase your knowledge (see our Help & Support section here). And lastly, make sure to take time for yourself to rest and relax; self-care is really important for our well-being.

- Aileen