The impact of practising mindfulness to increase individual resilience during voluntary migration

This is an autoethnographic study of my own (first author’s) voluntary migration from South Africa to Croatia, using mindful practice to manage the uncertainty and possible resulting stress of acculturation pre- and post-migration. While significant literature is available on both mindfulness and resilience, the research on the use of mindfulness to manage the specific stressors of voluntary migration is limited. The research question ‘what is the impact of practising mindfulness to increase individual resilience during voluntary migration?’ was at the core of the adopted methodology, which was inductive, collecting both qualitative and quantitative data through weekly reflexive journaling and monthly assessment of my resilience score and perceived stress score. Thematic analysis was used to make sense of the data, and my own critical incidents are shared throughout the findings and discussion. Despite migration presenting unique sociocultural and psychological challenges, most often experienced as stressful by the migrant as acculturation in the host country takes place, my perceived stress scores remained low for the eight months of tracking. Resilience was in place and remained high during the research period. My hope is that through my own experiences of undergoing and managing change of migration, I can offer insights, perspectives, and practical strategies that may resonate with others going through a similar transition or anyone who may have an interest in the intersections between migration, mindfulness and resilience.