Working remotely from abroad can bring time-zone strain, loneliness and weak belonging. A psychological guide for those working for Turkey from overseas.
In the morning, while the city you live in is still waking up, you are already in a meeting with your team in Turkey. Or the other way round: at dinner time, while your children are getting ready for bed, you are replying to messages from Istanbul. In recent years, many professionals have moved to another country while staying connected to a company or clients in Turkey. Working remotely from abroad offers the chance to keep up your career, to be with your family or partner and to live in a new country; but it also carries the strain of time differences, disconnection from the team, being suspended between two countries, and a risk of burnout that creeps up unnoticed. In this article, we look at the psychological load of this experience and the concrete steps that can be taken to find a healthy balance.
Working Remotely from Abroad: A Working Life Between Two Countries
The stories of people who work this way differ. Some moved because of their spouse's job and decided to keep their job in Turkey remotely. Some are freelance software developers, designers, translators or consultants whose clients are mostly in Turkey. Others have moved to another country for a few years with their company's permission.
The common point is this: the person's body is in one country, but their working life is in another. Through the day they live with two different rhythms, two different calendars, two different public holiday systems and often two different sets of expectations. Seen from outside, this can look like flexibility and freedom, but from the inside it requires a constant effort of adjustment.
Note: The tax, social security, work permit and contract aspects of working from abroad vary depending on the individual's situation and the countries concerned. This article does not give information on these matters; it is important to consult an adviser with expertise in the relevant field for the details.
Common Psychological Difficulties and Signs
The cost of the time difference. Even in European countries with only a small time difference from Turkey, a shift of an hour or two can disrupt the morning or evening routine. In places with a large time difference, such as North America, East Asia or Australia, meetings can fall at midnight or in the early hours of the morning. In the long term, this directly affects sleep patterns, family life and social relationships.
Being constantly reachable. When "working hours" are lived in two time zones at once, the working day stretches without being noticed. By the time the team in Turkey starts work, you are already working; and when they finish, messages may still arrive.
Disconnection from the team. Office chat, lunches, birthday celebrations and corridor conversations remain on the other side of the screen. A person can feel like the "distant member" of the team and think they are left out of decisions.
Fear of being invisible. Thoughts such as "I won't get promoted because I'm not in sight" and "They'll forget me" can lead to overworking and staying online constantly.
A lack of belonging in the country you live in. Because your working life is in Turkey, you do not form colleagues, peers or a work-based social network in the country where you live. The motivation to learn the language can fall, and you may remain a "guest" in your city.
Being suspended between two countries. You are not fully in Turkey, nor fully in the country you live in. Religious holidays and public holidays do not coincide; you may have to work while it is a holiday in one country and in the other.
The signs to watch for are these:
- Having trouble falling asleep or not waking up rested in the mornings
- Spending the whole day in front of a screen and hardly going outside
- Checking work-related messages even at weekends
- Irritability, impatience and growing tension in the family
- A growing alienation from work and the question "What am I working for?"
- Having no social connections in the city where you live
These signs do not on their own mean a diagnosis; but if they continue for a long time, they may indicate that the load is getting heavy. For wider information on working life and burnout abroad, you can look at the article on burnout abroad.
Why Does It Happen? Reasons and Cultural Context
Blurring boundaries. A general difficulty of remote working is the disappearance of the physical boundary between home and work. The time difference blurs this boundary even further.
The expectations of Turkish work culture. In many workplaces in Turkey, responding quickly is seen as a sign of commitment. Messages that arrive after hours may be expected to be answered at once. An employee living abroad, thinking "I shouldn't look privileged because I'm far away", may try to meet this expectation even more strictly.
The need to prove oneself. When permission to work remotely is perceived as a privilege, a person may tend to work more to prove that they deserve it.
Guilt. Living abroad while colleagues who stayed in Turkey deal with economic hardship, traffic or office conditions can create feelings of guilt, or of "not deserving it", in some people.
The silence of loneliness. The office environment is the most important source of social connection for many people. Living in a new country without it can deepen loneliness, particularly for people who live alone or who know no one except their spouse.
Uncertainty about the future. Working remotely from abroad often starts as a temporary solution: "We'll carry on like this for a year or two, then we'll see." But as this temporariness drags on, a person can be left in a vacuum of decision about which country to build their career in, when to enter the local job market, or whether to return to Turkey. Worry that company policies, exchange rates or contract terms may change also feeds this uncertainty. As tolerance of uncertainty gets harder, anxiety rises and the person has difficulty planning both the present and the future.
The freedom of remote working can quietly turn into a cage if boundaries are not drawn: being able to work from anywhere can mean never being able to rest fully anywhere.
The Effect on Family and Relationships
The time difference affects not only the employee but the whole family. Joining a meeting at dinner time, missing a child's school show or the time with a partner being postponed again and again can create tension in the family. A partner may feel, "We're in the same house but you're always in Turkey."
On the other hand, it should not be forgotten that working from home offers the chance to be with the family. The question is whether this chance turns into real togetherness. Being in the same house but constantly in front of a screen can create emotional distance despite physical closeness.
Suppose a project manager who lives in Canada and works remotely for a company in Istanbul starts work very early in the morning to fit in with Turkish time. When the team in Turkey finishes work in the afternoon, he too is exhausted; the time he spends with his children in the evenings is always spent tired. At weekends, he tries to catch up on sleep. A year later, he feels cut off from both his job and the city he is in. This fictional example shows the cumulative effect of the time difference.
What You Can Do on Your Own When Working Remotely from Abroad
1. Define your working hours clearly. Tell yourself and your team in clear terms the hours when you are available. Add both Turkish time and local time to your calendar.
2. Protect the shared working window. Try to gather meetings in the hours when the two time zones overlap. Carry out communication outside this window in writing and asynchronously as far as possible.
3. Create an end-of-day ritual. A simple ritual such as shutting the computer, going for a short walk or changing out of your work clothes gives the mind the message "work is over".
4. Manage notifications. Turn off work app notifications outside working hours. Set a separate, clear channel with the team for emergencies.
5. Prioritise your sleep pattern. If the time difference means you have to work late at night or very early in the morning, try to limit this to certain days rather than every day of the week. The article on sleep problems abroad can guide you on sleep issues.
6. Build connections in the city where you live. Coworking spaces, language courses, sports groups or volunteer activities can help you build a local social network. Connections that remind you that you have a life outside work strengthen your sense of belonging.
7. Build a visible but healthy relationship with the team. Regular one-to-one meetings, keeping your camera on and sharing your work regularly can reduce the fear of being invisible. You do not need to stay online all the time to be visible.
8. Talk openly with your manager. Talking with your manager about the load created by the time difference, about expectations and about boundaries can often meet with more understanding than you expect.
9. Protect time with your family. Set certain evenings or mealtimes of the week as family time completely free of work.
10. Really use your holidays. When the public holidays of two countries do not coincide, a person often cannot fully enjoy any holiday. Plan your annual leave in advance and really stop work communication while you are on leave. See religious holidays and local holidays as opportunities to strengthen your bond with your family and the city where you live.
When Should You Seek Professional Support?
Working remotely from abroad is a demanding way of life, and feeling overwhelmed from time to time is natural. However, some signs may show that the measures you take on your own are not enough and that outside support could be helpful. It is important to consider professional support in the following situations:
- If constant tiredness, lack of motivation and alienation from work have continued for weeks
- If sleep problems markedly affect your daily functioning
- If anxiety, palpitations or tension continue outside work time too
- If conflicts in the family are increasing and seem unresolvable
- If you feel completely alone and rootless in the country you live in
- If you are experiencing low mood, hopelessness or thoughts of harming yourself
In a crisis, or if there is a risk of self-harm, call the emergency number of the country you are in immediately: 112 in EU countries, 911 in the USA and Canada, 999 or 112 in the UK, 000 in Australia. Online therapy is not an emergency response service; in situations of serious risk, local emergency services and local psychiatric services are necessary. The family doctor and mental health services in the country you live in are also important resources.
How Does Online Therapy in Your Native Language Work?
For someone who lives abroad but works within Turkish work culture, a therapeutic relationship that understands both the expectations of Turkish working life and everyday life away from home at the same time can be a relief. Being able to talk without having to explain the pressure created by phrases such as "Let's get back to him right away, mate" or "We need to get this done before the holiday" can make the process easier. You can find more detail on this on the Turks abroad page.
In a Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)-based approach, the following areas can be addressed:
- Burnout and stress management: Re-establishing the balance between workload, availability expectations and rest.
- Thinking patterns: Realistically assessing thoughts such as "If I don't reply immediately, I'll lose my job" and "I have to work twice as hard because I'm far away."
- Boundary-setting skills: Working on ways of expressing boundaries with your manager and team.
- Sleep and daily rhythm: Building a sustainable daily routine despite the time difference.
- Social connection and belonging: Planning steps to build small but meaningful connections in the country you live in.
For online sessions, a quiet and private room, headphones and a secure connection are enough. It is important to set the session time so that it does not clash with your work calendar; the session should feel like time set aside for you, not like a "meeting". Payment can be made online; for insurance reimbursement, you need to check the insurance conditions in the country you live in. For details, you can look at the online therapy page.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does the time difference affect mental health?
A long-term time difference can affect sleep patterns, family life and social relationships. Working regularly late at night or very early in the morning in particular can lead to fatigue and irritability. Setting a shared working window and protecting your sleep pattern helps reduce this effect.
What can I do to avoid becoming disconnected from the team while working remotely?
Regular one-to-one meetings, meetings with cameras on and regularly sharing the work you do help maintain the connection. If possible, meeting the team face to face a few times a year can also strengthen relationships. You do not need to stay online all the time to be visible.
Does working remotely from abroad lead to burnout?
It does not do so by itself; but the risk of burnout can rise when boundaries become unclear, the time difference is not managed and social support is weak. Clarifying working hours, protecting rest and building social connections in the country you live in can help reduce this risk.
How can I plan therapy sessions around my working hours?
It is ideal to place sessions at a time when your work calendar is not busy and you are mentally more at ease. A fixed time that suits both you and the therapist is set, bearing the time difference in mind. Leaving a short break just before and after the session makes it easier to switch back into work mode.
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Eda Erkan Alapala
Klinik Psikolog. İstanbul Kent Üniversitesi Klinik Psikoloji Tezli Yüksek Lisans mezunu; bilişsel davranışçı terapi, çocuk merkezli oyun terapisi ve çocuk-ergen psikoterapisi alanlarında eğitimlerini tamamlamıştır.
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