Tips for a healthier mind and body while staying abroad

If we start off taking it to be an expatriate, so with that it brings a lot of overwhelming joys and anxiety at the same time. The joy of being able to explore the new place all alone, try new cuisines, the surreal excitement of getting into a dorm life (for the ones who haven’t been to it before), just like the newly blooming bud – that blooming joy of becoming a home-chef and trying out new recipes every other day, the yearning joy of living an adult hood life abroad that almost everyone has dreamt of once.

While, as for the anxieties part, the biggest of it could be the fear of making new friends, the stress of coping up with a different curriculum at the desired pace, the fear of communication (where there is language barrier or the indistinct linguistics followed), another prime one is the ever-existing turbulence for racism in almost every state in the world, though at very indifferent ratios but still, it is daunting.

Carrying all these along, how is it possible to stay at a stable pace that is required for a mind to acquire what it is meant for? And amidst all this, it is often observed that students suffer from mental depressed states which we term as “expatriate sickness’ or ‘home sickness’ which really isn’t linked to studies rather to the herd of overwhelmed emotions being carried, when there is no caretaker around to serve you food or do chores for you, when you are the one for yourself.

As textbook as it all sounds, indeed it’s not compliant at all to be at your own for the longest time. After a certain period, the mind gets saturated with the monotonous nature of routine, which is the point of stunting the mental growth, dragging it to the darker subconscious state of mind. This makes you go for neglecting your health by hopping on to unhealthy food items, snacking on junk and munching all day long to avoid the focus and keep your mind distracted with all the available unhealthy treats in your new land. Such regime, if continued, over a long run is bound to give pronounced undesirable effects over the physical as well as mental state which is then going to mark its impression in the studying pattern and there start another track, you call depression or Suffering.

So, it’s legit imperative to keep all these things in mind prior to flying to new land. It’s significant to keep a check of all these uncertainties and planning the way out of it or devising the things in a trail to avoid such to happen. Everything good starts with a healthy mind and to keep the mind healthy, it’s important to feed healthy to the body and yet to the soul. Meditation, worshipping, exercising are the foods to the soul and keeping a track of avoiding all the unnecessary junk is the first step in feeding health to mind.

About this blog, we will be throwing you some tips and dots to live your time fullest as an expatriate in the host country, along with maintaining a sane mind and sound lifestyle:

• Foremost problem that occurs is the reluctance and hesitance that one bears for being a newbie to the country and with that fear, the mind gets to entrap the thought functioning so “Don’t Be Afraid to Ask for Help”.
• With the stress of moving on your mind, it can be easy to forget about over the counter medications, so this is your reminder not to make this mistake. As it is said, “Health before anything!”
• We have always heard, “A good food is the health of the body and exercise is the health of the mind “so developing healthy habits can help with this factor, keeping you agile. On the other hand, equipping yourself with good nutritious food will help you in the longest run, physically as well as mentally. Nature has blessed us with endless amenities in the form of weather specific edibles that can help us to keep ourselves warm during the harsh icy cold weather like the dry fruits are packed with all essential omega fatty acids that are required by our body for the process of thermo genesis.

• Meditation and Me time is another important factor in consideration because the state of solitude can be overwhelming in worst possible way making one to feel homesick or imprisoned, so be a friend to yourself.
• Explore the options you have for getting involved in a sport, or joining a team since “ Sports are the best form of fitness.”
• Many programs and universities include membership for the on-campus fitness center, where you can practice various physical activities. If not, investigate joining an intramural sport. Get a group of other study abroad students to make a sports team or sign up with local students. You can also investigate different sports facilities in the wider area, such as gyms and pools, or different sports clubs within the university vicinity. In addition to getting exercise, getting involved in a sport is a chance to learn a sport that may be uniquely popular in that country.

• Don’t overbook yourself with the force of becoming successful or earning more than your home country, just because you have moved abroad. Remember, good things come to those who wait! So go easy on yourself for the first few months till you find yourself in a state of stability.
• Just like the 3^rd law of Newton, “Every action has an equal and opposite reaction” , similarly every energy or vibe that you surround yourself with, will have the same impact on your being and then you will emit out the same to others. So always try to place yourself in a zone of positivity especially when you are alone.
• Take a step out and try exploring the new places, that too on foot. Start by taking a haul of the nearest malls or stores, whatever you like. With that, it would be unjust to forgo the delicacies of abroad that you have always been seeing on social media so do get indulge in all that. A student budget plus the excitement of foreign junk food doesn’t exactly equal a nutritious diet so keep an eye to that too.
• Get plenty of sleep, try hitting the bed an early night at least a couple of nights a week. You can also catch up on lost sleep by napping on buses and planes on your way to your farther destination. Carry a face mask, ear plugs, and a neck pillow to help you get your beauty sleep whenever and wherever you are.
• The most important step in looking your absolute best and one of my all-time favorites staying healthy tips is to be hydrated for body and moisturized for skin. As “water is a miracle drink”, so drinking water before you leave and while you are traveling is essential for any traveler wanting to look their best. Staying hydrated means drinking lots of water, not sodas or alcohol that only cause you to arrive looking less than their best and loaded up with all unnecessary sugar calories.

So, this brings to deduce it wisely that the bottom line for keeping up with the sanity, the wellbeing and constructive growth, it’s important to listen to your mind, your body and go easy on them, sans forcing the events to get done. Take a break from moving around the tick tock of the clock and let yourself sink in with the time. The most important thing to remember while studying abroad is to have fun. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity, and you’ll want to make the very most of it. Take full advantage of all the opportunities presented to you.

Muhammad Saeed