MOVING ABROAD: Creating new habits

Creating new routines after moving abroad can be challenging but beneficial for your well-being and adjustment. Routines can help you feel more organized, productive, and in control of your new environment. They can also reduce stress, anxiety, and boredom. 

Here are some tips on how to create new routines after moving abroad: 

1. Start with the basics. 

Establish a regular sleeping and waking schedule that suits your new time zone and lifestyle. Try to get enough sleep, eat healthy meals, and exercise regularly. These habits will help you maintain your physical and mental health and cope with the changes in your new country. 

Make your routines easy for yourself. Make or copy yourself a meal plan you will enjoy. There are hundreds of ready made meal plans online where to choose from.  This will free your head-space from daily “what to eat?” (and ending up with noodles once again) to “Today I will have chicken with veggies and leftovers for lunch tomorrow”

Ideas for morning routines:

Morning meditation or a short yoga 10 minutes of stretching will do wonders to your body. 

A healthy breakfast

Morning journaling 

Ideas for bedtime routines:

A short yoga or meditation. 

Maybe a gratitude journal with a cup of herbal tea.

A quick shower with relaxing soap

2. Set some goals. 

Think about the things that you’d like to achieve after moving to a new country, be it becoming fluent in the language, finding a job, finding a group of friends, etc. Then take active steps to pursue them. 

For example, you can enroll in a language course, take part in language exchange meetings, and update your resume. 

Join a club or start a new hobby, running, pottery, rugby, choir, dancing, whatever tickles your fancy. 

Having goals will give you a sense of purpose and direction and motivate you to create routines that support them. 

3. Plan your days and weeks. 

Use a calendar, a planner, or an app to organize your daily and weekly activities and tasks. 

Include both work-related and personal items, such as meetings, appointments, errands, hobbies, etc. 

Try to balance your schedule between productive and leisure activities, and between familiar and new ones. Having a plan will help you manage your time and energy and avoid procrastination and distraction.

Moving is not only a chance to renew yourself, it's also a possibility to see yourself in a new light. Become the one who always does their assignments as soon as they are given instead of procrastinating until the deadline. Value your selfcare as high as everything else.
If you want, schedule time for weekly museum visits, or a daily slot for me-time. 

4. Be flexible and adaptable. 

While routines can be helpful, they can also become boring or rigid if you stick to them too strictly. Allow yourself some room for spontaneity and experimentation. 

Try new things, explore new places, meet new people, and embrace the opportunities that your new country offers. 

Be open to changing or adjusting your routines as you learn more about yourself and your new environment. 

5. Seek support and feedback. 

Creating new routines after moving abroad can be hard to do on your own. You may need some guidance, encouragement, or accountability from others who are in the same situation or who have gone through it before. 

You can seek support and feedback from your family, friends, coworkers, mentors, or other expats in your new country. 

You can also join online communities or forums where you can share your experiences and tips with other people who are creating new routines after moving abroad.