5 tips on how to maintain your mental and physical health while studying abroad!
The responsibility of being a student amongst daily life challenges is bound to take a toll on your mental health if left unchecked. Whether it is pressure coming from family, political influences, or simply expectations you strive to hold yourself to, maintaining your wellbeing while studying abroad is difficult – but never impossible. Both Julia and I have had our fair share of needing to take an extra breath and reevaluating on what we can improve in ourselves or who to reach out to when the mental loads might become a bit too much. Taking these few extra steps and implementing them into your daily life can help you as a student living in a foreign country regain clarity and care for your wellbeing.
#1: Taking breaks
We’ve all been there as students: deadlines piling up and not enough hours in a day to help catch up when your brain already feels fried. This feeling of never-ending work, while sometimes motivating to some, is not healthy in overwhelming waves. An alteration that can be made is setting realistic smaller goals for yourself to achieve in a certain timeframe. Using psychology on yourself to get your mind to see a much closer and attainable finish line has done wonders for us, especially during the dreaded finals. However, rewarding yourself is still important. Taking simple 10-minute breaks to zone out and give your mind a small rest or even removing yourself completely from your work space and going for a walk.
A great place to do this is the pitch here at MIC! You’ll see people walking their dogs, going for their daily runs, students coming and going from classes. Simply slapping on your headphones and going around the pitch a few times while people-watching can ease even the smallest bit of stress trapped in our bodies.
Once taking this space, get back into your work with a fresher and clear mind – don’t forget to hydrate!
#2 Remembering the bigger picture
Keeping perspective can feel almost impossible once you are in too deep in the stress. Reminding yourself that this too will end can bring someone much more peace than one might think. Especially as an international student, many of us have worked too hard and have gone through too much to reach our dreams of being able to pursue higher education in a new country. Throughout our time as international students, especially coming from places like the U.S. and Jerusalem, we have grown appreciation for the privilege of being stressed as it means we have something we care so deeply about. We know that no matter what, we will always get through the hardships, and so will you!
Maintaining focus on the bigger picture and looking back to all you have around you and ahead of you can bring a great sense of comfort and even excitement for the future. There will come a day where we are all able to look back at our university days and think about how it was all worth it – but to get there we must get through today so why not enjoy the journey!
#3: Lean on others
Isolation is a common experience most international students will go through. It can be incredibly lonely and disorientating trying to figure out a new life without the support system you may have had at home. Creating friends with housemates, other international students, and even members of the local community can ease so many fears and anxieties.
This is how Julia and I actually met! We were both placed to live in the same international house and immediately bonded together. It is incredibly beneficial to be able to lean on people that understand many of the niche struggles that come with being an international student.
Still, most people are only a phone call away! Call up an old friend, check in on your family, ask to be sent a picture of your dog at home – they all want to hear from you!
#4: Maintaining healthy habits
Now comes our number one downfall, keeping some sort of healthy habits.
We will not always have time to have a full balanced breakfast or the motivation to have a more nutritious dinner than a bag of popcorn and a pint!
We do have:
- the ability to drink a bit more water. Taking a reusable water bottle around class will encourage you to drink more water and refill them at the multiple water stations around the college.
- time to grab a fruit – like a banana for instance – to snack on during our study breaks.
- time to keep up on our hygienic health! This aspect is often not talked about but keeping up with a routine to keep up one’s cleanliness both physically and in the environment around us can allow a student to feel much more motivated and healthier!
- The smallest changes will in time have the biggest benefits – it’s never too late!
#5: Reaching out to services offered in the college
And in the end if it all still feels too much – it is okay! There are so many resources available at MIC ready to help you in any way possible.
Many of the services can be found at Mary I’s Students Union linked here.
If you are still not sure what services would be best suited for your needs, get in touch with MISU’s VP of Student Experience and Wellbeing! No matter what, the college will find a way to work together to get you back on track to your next adventure!
Remember, there is no shame in asking for help. We are all human and all need it from time to time. Only in the darkest nights, can the brightest stars be seen. <3
-Stephanie Gonzalez, USA and Julia Nimat Allah, Israel
