6 Tips for Living Happily in Costa Rica Without Dying of Frustration
A recent article from Inside Costa Rica (thank you to the magazine for that great article) mentioned, "While you die in the United States of stress, here we die of frustration.
" When you come from the U.
S.
or Europe to Costa Rica there is a large chance you will become frustrated in different situations here.
But let's analyze a bit the psychology of frustration.
Frustration belongs to the family of disappointment and disappointment always occurs when you don't get something - a situation or a thing - that you expected.
If you don't experience the situation as you expected before you get disappointed or, as mentioned in the article at insidecostarica.
com, you get frustrated.
Compared with stress, frustration is still the better choice because stress produces many more health-threatening conditions.
However, frustration can lead to stress as well as depression.
So why do some experiences like dealing with hypocrisy, the perpetual construction on the road to Caldera, the shoddy customer service at Costa Rica's monopolistic TV/cable companies, long lines and painful paperwork at governmental institutions and banks, and waiting lists in public hospitals produce frustration? To me there is just one reason.
You expected something different.
And why do we expect things? It is because we have become used to other things, situations, behavior patterns, cultures, etc.
and don't detach from our assumption that, when we begin to live in other countries that have a completely different culture, behaviors and so on, things should be exactly the same as they were in our homeland.
So the perfect recipe for suffering and frustration while living in other countries is trying to take the home country - with all its familiar concepts and expectations - in your luggage when you move to the new country.
Of course, it is a life-threatening situation if an ambulance doesn't come in time or the police response is delayed, but these are typical characteristics of an emerging nation and no one likes them.
But you have the choice at this point to accept that situation or to resist it, suffer, and become frustrated.
Here are some tips for avoiding disappointment while living in Costa Rica: 1) Learn Spanish (very important) 2) Meditate and do some yoga; this prevents health issues and makes you more flexible, mentally and physically.
3) If you go to a bank, take a book or Kindle with you and talk with the people in line (Spanish skills necessary and cellphones are not allowed).
4) If you have an appointment with someone, have always plan A, B and C ready and only wait 15-20 minutes.
If he doesn't show up, go over to plan B or C.
5) If you look for craftsmen, professionals, etc.
, always ask for at least five cost estimates.
6) Use more public transportation; by so doing, you can help reduce traffic in the city and get things done at the same time while traveling (plan out the things you can do while travelling).
" When you come from the U.
S.
or Europe to Costa Rica there is a large chance you will become frustrated in different situations here.
But let's analyze a bit the psychology of frustration.
Frustration belongs to the family of disappointment and disappointment always occurs when you don't get something - a situation or a thing - that you expected.
If you don't experience the situation as you expected before you get disappointed or, as mentioned in the article at insidecostarica.
com, you get frustrated.
Compared with stress, frustration is still the better choice because stress produces many more health-threatening conditions.
However, frustration can lead to stress as well as depression.
So why do some experiences like dealing with hypocrisy, the perpetual construction on the road to Caldera, the shoddy customer service at Costa Rica's monopolistic TV/cable companies, long lines and painful paperwork at governmental institutions and banks, and waiting lists in public hospitals produce frustration? To me there is just one reason.
You expected something different.
And why do we expect things? It is because we have become used to other things, situations, behavior patterns, cultures, etc.
and don't detach from our assumption that, when we begin to live in other countries that have a completely different culture, behaviors and so on, things should be exactly the same as they were in our homeland.
So the perfect recipe for suffering and frustration while living in other countries is trying to take the home country - with all its familiar concepts and expectations - in your luggage when you move to the new country.
Of course, it is a life-threatening situation if an ambulance doesn't come in time or the police response is delayed, but these are typical characteristics of an emerging nation and no one likes them.
But you have the choice at this point to accept that situation or to resist it, suffer, and become frustrated.
Here are some tips for avoiding disappointment while living in Costa Rica: 1) Learn Spanish (very important) 2) Meditate and do some yoga; this prevents health issues and makes you more flexible, mentally and physically.
3) If you go to a bank, take a book or Kindle with you and talk with the people in line (Spanish skills necessary and cellphones are not allowed).
4) If you have an appointment with someone, have always plan A, B and C ready and only wait 15-20 minutes.
If he doesn't show up, go over to plan B or C.
5) If you look for craftsmen, professionals, etc.
, always ask for at least five cost estimates.
6) Use more public transportation; by so doing, you can help reduce traffic in the city and get things done at the same time while traveling (plan out the things you can do while travelling).
Source...