Adjusting to foreign lifestyles: Is it cultural disparities or psychological tendencies?
You're not just in Romania for the scenery, mate - you've got a new job, a bigger challenge, or a fresh start. You've got the logistics figured out, found your groove, and maybe even started to enjoy the work-life balance. But underneath it all, there's something you didn't quite plan for - the constant pressure to perform in a new environment, day in, day out.
Even top-performing expats face this challenge. It's not just about cultural differences - it's the mental load of always being "on" with hybrid teams, language switches, and corporate expectations. It's decision fatigue when you're the one people rely on. It's the quiet stress behind success, where everything seems fine on the outside but your mind is a whirlpool most of the time. It's overthinking, self-criticism, or self-doubt - you're doing great, but it never feels quite enough.
So, is the challenge cultural or mental? According to Positive Intelligence (PQ), it's all in your f**king head - and that's good news because you can actually train your mind to handle it better.
PQ is a science-based mental fitness program developed by Shirzad Chamine, a Stanford lecturer. It's used by leaders, entrepreneurs, and professionals all over the world to boost resilience, emotional clarity, and inner leadership. Psychologist Corina Chirileasa, who's been trained in various mind training modalities, highly recommends this program.
"I can't recommend this program enough. It's like a one-of-a-kind cocktail of mindfulness, cognitive work, inner parts work, behavioral tools, and coaching – all integrated into a bloody easy-to-use app.
As a psychologist, I've evaluated the entire program and filtered it through my experience with various personal development approaches. PQ brings some seriously powerful tools in a simple, gradual, and highly accessible way."
In seven weeks, the program helps you identify your inner saboteurs (those mental patterns that generate stress, pressure, or negative self-talk), activate your Sage (the calm, clear, creative part of you that handles challenges without being drained by them), and practice short daily techniques (just 15 minutes a day) using an easy-to-use mobile app. You'll join a small coaching group (in English), guided by Romanian psychologist Corina Chirileasa, who's experienced in working with foreigners in Romania.
It's not about therapy or fake positivity. It's about building real, practical inner skills you can use at work, in meetings, in your family life, and in the space between.
PQ works especially well for expats in leadership roles because living and leading abroad puts constant pressure on your mental system. The program helps you stay grounded and mentally agile, so you can perform without burning out and connect without losing yourself. It's like going to the gym, but for your brain, and once you build and train the muscle, it stays with you.
The program at a glance:
- Duration: 7 weeks
- Language: English
- Format: Online (global app with daily and weekly content + live weekly coaching on Zoom, in English, in a small group - max 5 people)
- Coach: Corina Chirileasa - psychologist & burnout recovery specialist, NLP trainer & coach
- Next cohort: starting in April 2025
If you're an expat working in Romania and your mind could use more calm, clarity, and resilience - this might be the smartest investment you make this year.
Join the program now → Positive Intelligence PQ Program - English Pod
If you need more info, want a group offer for your family or your company, please reach out to [email protected].
*This is Partner Content.
Enrichment Data:
Positive Intelligence (PQ) focuses on mental fitness by managing internal "Saboteurs" (self-sabotaging thought patterns) and strengthening the "Sage" perspective (calm, solution-oriented mindset)[1]. It aims to reduce stress/anxiety, improve relationships, and enhance performance by fostering self-awareness and emotional regulation[1].
For expats in Romania, PQ offers benefits like:
- Stress reduction: Managing cultural adjustments and isolation through heightened self-awareness and Saboteur identification[1][3]
- Improved decision-making: The Sage mindset promotes clarity in navigating unfamiliar social/professional dynamics[1][5]
- Relationship building: Emotional intelligence components – central to PQ – help interpret nonverbal cues and local communication norms, reducing misunderstandings[2][5]
- Leadership development: PQ cultivates inner leadership by balancing emotional responses, critical for expats managing teams across cultural divides[1][5]
Research shows that emotional intelligence training (closely aligned with PQ principles) enhances workplace productivity by 20-30% and reduces burnout[5], while positive emotionality (a PQ focus) correlates with better mental/physical health[3]. For expats, these outcomes directly address challenges like cultural adaptation and performance pressures.
- The constant stress and pressure that comes with being an expat in a new work environment can be managed effectively with the Positive Intelligence (PQ) program, a science-based mental fitness program focusing on stress reduction, emotional clarity, and inner leadership.
- By identifying inner saboteurs and activating the Sage, a calm and solution-oriented part of the mind, the PQ program enables achievers, such as expats, to navigate complex corporate expectations, hybrid teams, and language switches more easily, improving their performance and well-being in the workplace-wellness and health-and-wellness sectors.
- Psychologist Corina Chirileasa, a burnout recovery specialist and an expert in working with foreigners in Romania, highly recommends the PQ program as a powerful tool for personal growth, offering various mindfulness practices, cognitive work, inner parts work, behavioral tools, and coaching – all geared towards mental health and education-and-self-development.
- As part of the PQ program, participants join a small coaching group in English led by Corina Chirileasa, allowing them to connect, learn, and grow with like-minded achievers, expats, and professionals who are also navigating their way through the challenges of being an expat in Romania.
- In just 15 minutes a day, over a period of seven weeks, participants can expect to build resilience, enhance mental health, and improve their overall well-being – all of which are essential for long-term personal and professional success in any workplace, particularly as an expat in a new and demanding environment.
