7 Great Tips To Deal With Life When Living Abroad

  • Eat

Due to this new burden of responsibilities like managing household chores, earning rent or buying groceries, students often end up relying on takeout and frozen meals. Poor eating habits and lack of nutrition often triggers stress. So, make sure to eat healthy and homemade food as much as possible. Cooking can be a great stress buster!

  • Exercise

New teaching formats and curriculums along with academic load can often be stressful for students, especially those who live abroad. It’s thus essential to stay healthy, both mentally and physically. Make sure that you stay active by going out for a run or working out in the gym. Meditation and breathing exercises help you stay calm and composed.

  • Reach Out

Living in a new and unfamiliar environment, away from family and friends, almost always harbors the feeling of homesickness. It’s completely normal to feel lonely, anxious or even unmotivated. Make sure to stay in touch with your friends back home and regularly check in with your family.

  • Explore

Unfamiliarity with new settings and surroundings makes you feel like an outsider. So, make an effort to familiarize yourself with your new city. Take to the streets and explore chic cafes downtown or a coffee shop in unknown alleys. Walk the streets of the city and discover your favorite spots.

  • Join

It’s easy to get lost and lose yourself while trying to deal with your new lifestyle and the mammoth of tasks that come with it. So, make sure to stay in touch with your hobbies. Find clubs and societies on or off campus and regularly indulge in activities that you enjoy, be it a book club, hiking or volunteering at NGOs.

  • Socialize

Being in a new environment often causes the hesitation to interact with people. Trust yourself and be open to new experiences. Sharing and discussing the challenges you face is a great conversation starter with other international students. Use social networking sites to connect with people with similar interests in and around your college.

  • Talk

Don’t hesitate to seek professional help; colleges abroad are equipped with counsellors and advisers to help students with any emotional or psychological challenges. If you’re not comfortable sharing your feelings, then vent out through a journal or other creative forms of expression such as poems, painting or playing with pets.

 

Credits: Content contributed by Vrinda Khattar, a PPRO EED student who is currently pursuing her undergraduate degree in English from the Ashoka University.



Leave a Reply

Looking for College counselling and guidance?