A reminder: the Holmes and Rahe Stress Scale & life in Japan

My undergrad course back in the day was psychology, and one of the things that has stuck with me in the almost 20 years since I finished that degree is the Holmes and Rahe Stress Scale, which is also sometimes known as the Social Readjustment Rating Scale.

I've written about it here on City-Cost before, but the tool was developed in the 1960s by psychiatrists Thomas Holmes and Richard Rahe with the goal of measuring how life events contribute to stress and illness. The scale assigns what they call "life change units" to 43 common events, ranging from the death of a spouse (100 points) to something as minor as a vacation (13 points). A total score over 300 points is considered to carry an 80% risk of a stress-related health breakdown in the next two years.

Stress and expat life often go hand in hand. Image created via Canva.

I was reminded of the stress scale because of ToneToEdo’s recent Q&A topic about moving house. I think moving is honestly a hugely stressful experience, whether it’s our initial moves here in Japan, moving domestically, or even the prospect of eventually moving home for some of us.

I think expat life in general is filled with stressors that may seem normal (and manageable!) in isolation but can accumulate quickly on this scale. For instance, some common expat experiences and their stress point equivalents are outlined below:

• Change in residence (20 points)
• Change in living conditions (25 points)
• Change in social activities (18 points)
• Beginning or end of school or job (26 points)
• Trouble with in-laws or extended family abroad (29 points)
• Change in financial state (38 points)
• Change in eating habits (15 points)
• Language or cultural adaptation (not listed, but arguably akin to a business or lifestyle readjustment, which is around 39 points)

When you look at the entire list, it is super easy to imagine most of us scoring 150–300+ points in a single year just from navigating everyday life!

All of that to say, I think a lot of us probably don’t give ourselves enough credit for how stressful life as an expat can be, and how well we manage the day to day accumulation of those stressors. It’s also a good reminder to make sure you’re looking after both your mental and physical health, because the stress can chip away at it if you’re not careful!