When you do not take care of yourself, studying abroad can seem overwhelming. Know that this is a place where your mom is nowhere, so you’re a caregiver of your own. When you are healthy and happy, getting up early and dealing with the hardest learning routine just seems appropriate. If you get ill or suffer from emotional trauma, heaven forbid, then study abroad is no less than an inferno.
Take out the diary and jot down crucial points about your self-care until you hit your destination. Establish a regular, weekly, or monthly self-care exercise schedule. This does not mean that self-care is a difficult challenge to achieve. In the self-care routine, actually entertaining oneself should be included.
In the international environment, students are typically afraid and uncertain and want to strive extra hard to get through with their studies. New culture and climate are the things that require time for adjustment. Here are some ways you can take care of yourself during study abroad.
1. Stay Healthy
It is true: a safe body is a sound mind. While you dive headfirst into trying new recipes, make sure that you maintain a healthy balance as well. Although keeping a daily workout schedule can be hard; doing little things to keep you active and safe goes a long way.
Simple things like walking to work/school are great habits to build if the distance is not too much, taking the stairs, and drinking more water.
You can also visit a nearby gym or take fitness classes where you can meet and remain involved with locals. Or just going for a jog or running in your neighbourhood will help you get more acquainted with your new home and keep you busy if you don’t want to spend cash!
2. Ask For Assistance
We need more support sometimes than we can offer ourselves. Ask for assistance. It is very difficult, to be frank about a serious challenge, and it is also the best way to get the support and help you need. Your ISEP Program Officer will help connect you in your host country to great mental health services, and they want to see you excel. Please do not hesitate to reach out if you know that you are dealing with mental illness or if you are finding that you may be struggling with one when you are travelling, take care of yourself during study abroad.
3. Keep Cool And Orientate Yourself
Orientation week is the nightmare of any socially insecure human. It is a mad dash to make friends as fast as possible, it felt like days of constantly socialising and pretending to laugh. Keep cool, and take the time to get to know people, truly. Don’t think about wanting to be friends with everybody, instead strive to establish connections with individuals that appear sincere and share the same interests! During orientation week, it’s possible that people will be heading out a lot. Give in if you like, but know your boundaries.
4. Stay In Touch With Your Family
For most study-abroad students, becoming homesick is prevalent. It’s important to touch base back at home every once in a while while you’re studying abroad. Your friends and family would like to hear from you, and they’ll appreciate that you took the time to keep in touch with them. It would help you stay ‘in the loop’ of what’s going on back home, staying in contact with home, and make you feel less isolated from your loved ones. With the advent of social networking and instant message apps like Whatsapp, being linked with people all around the planet has never been simpler.
5. Have Adequate Medication
To take care of yourself during study abroad, it’s necessary to remember that in the country you are living in, it might be hard to locate the same prescription. Before you head for your semester or year abroad, this is something you must do. Let your doctor know that you are going abroad and remind them to give you sufficient medicine to survive abroad.
These were some of the best ways on how to practice self-care while studying abroad.
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Some More Helpful Tips To Take Care Of Yourself During Study Abroad
Now let’s have a look at the tips to stay happy and healthy while studying abroad.
Get Enough Sleep
It’s quick to start cutting time from your sleep with all the things going on at college and with your new mates, so you don’t lose out on something. This will though, have an effect on you and your tiredness will take over. A late-night is all right here and there, but on average, 7 to 9 hours of sleep a night is what we need to be at our highest. It will all help your mood, your energy, and your efficiency.
Keep A Journal
Writing can be cathartic. By writing down your thoughts and experiences in a journal, you can clear your mind up completely. You will notice that when you read the entries months from now, you will also be able to record your own personal growth through your writing. Whenever you have a difficult day, pen it down in your journal – it will act as therapy. Living in a new country all by yourself can be overwhelming at times. The act of writing can sometimes help make muddled thoughts clearer. Hence, keeping a journal is one of the best ways to self-care while learning English abroad.
Stay Hydrated
Even though we’re sure most of you follow this, in Europe, drinking water is not a part of day-to-day life like it is in America. Europeans are not known to carry around reusable water bottles. Moreover, restaurants do not provide free water to customers. Since there is a lack of water fountains in European cities, people have to pay for water at restaurants. This culture leads to students consuming less water than they usually do at home. But, just because Europeans drink less water doesn’t mean you have to. It is very important to stay hydrated. Being dehydrated can make you feel sluggish and puts you in a bad mood. Make sure you’re consuming enough water each day so that you feel energised and ready to seize the day.
Consequences You’ll Face If You Don’t Take Care Of Yourself During Study Abroad
Homesickness
Studying abroad should be one of the most exciting times of your life. But if you don’t take care of yourself during study abroad, you will end up feeling homesick. Being homesick can be a difficult thing to deal with, especially when you’re all alone in a new country. Students who don’t take care of themselves while studying abroad tend to miss friends and family back home, craving food from your favourite takeout place or longing to watch television without subtitles. This terrible feeling can be brief or they can be long-lasting, causing negative effects on a student’s life. Make sure to take care of yourself during study abroad so that you don’t end up feeling homesick.
Depression
Depression is an illness that affects millions of people. Depression has the potential to drain your energy, which leaves you feeling empty and fatigued. This can make it difficult to muster the strength or desire to seek treatment. Make sure you take care of yourself during study abroad as depression can be a difficult illness to manage. The best thing to do if you’re feeling depressed is to talk it out. It could be to a friend, a teacher or even a therapist. If you can’t do that, then consider journaling as it can be a good way to vent out your feelings.
Poor Academic Performance
Always remember that you’ve embarked on a study abroad journey to do well in your examinations. This will not be possible if you don’t take care of yourself. If you’re feeling homesick or depressed, it will adversely affect your academic performance and spoil your study abroad experience. Considering the amount of time, effort and money that goes into studying abroad, you should make it a priority to take care of yourself during study abroad. So, make sure you excel in academics and follow the ways to self-care while learning English abroad.
FAQs
1. How do I take care of myself abroad?
Eat healthy, sleep well, exercise, and stay connected with loved ones.
2. Is studying abroad stressful?
Yes, but it’s also rewarding. Common stressors include culture shock, academic demands, language barriers, and homesickness.
3. How do you stay strong abroad?
Remember why you’re there, ask for help, take breaks, and celebrate your successes.
4. How do I mentally prepare for moving abroad?
Do your research, talk to others who have studied abroad, be open-minded, and have a positive attitude.
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