9 Simple Ways to Improve Your Life Living Abroad

Living abroad is an adventure, sure. But it's also paperwork, language barriers, and 3 AM moments when you wonder if you've made the right choice.

Between navigating new cultures and missing the familiar, it's easy to forget about the basics that keep you grounded. These aren't your typical "self-care Sunday" tips. They're practical, soul-nourishing practices that actually work when you're building a life thousands of miles from home.

Ready to feel more like yourself again, even when everything around you feels foreign?

1. Start a Journal

Why it matters for expats: When you're living abroad, your thoughts can feel like they're in five different languages at once. Journaling gives you a private space to process the chaos without having to explain yourself to anyone.

Your journal becomes the one place where you're fully understood—no translation needed.

To get started, choose a journal that feels special (not just functional). Commit to writing for a few minutes each day. There are no rules here. Write about:

• The small wins that no one back home understands

• The frustrations you can't post on social media

• The person you're becoming in this new place

• What you miss, what surprises you, what's shifting inside

Over time, you'll track patterns in your adaptation journey. Revisit past entries to see how far you've come, especially on days when it feels like you're not making progress.

Quick start: Tonight, write three sentences about something that felt hard today and one thing that felt surprisingly good.

2. Take a Digital Detox

Why it matters for expats: Time zones mean you're always either too early or too late for everyone back home. Social media becomes a highlight reel of the life you left behind. Digital detoxes aren't about disconnecting from loved ones—they're about reconnecting with your present life.

Schedule regular breaks from your phone and laptop. Start with a few hours on Sunday morning or one full day per month. During your detox, do things that remind you why you moved abroad in the first place.

Go for a walk through your neighborhood without Google Maps (yes, really). Sit at a local café without scrolling. Visit that museum you keep saying you'll get to. Cook something from your host country's cuisine. Have a conversation with a neighbor.

The goal isn't to avoid technology forever. It's to create space for the life you're actually living, not just the one you're documenting.

Quick start: Tonight, put your phone in a drawer during dinner. Notice how different the evening feels.

3. Try a New Cultural Experience

Why it matters for expats: You moved abroad for a reason. But between visa stress and finding reliable wifi, it's easy to forget the adventure part of this whole thing.

Exploring your host culture isn't just tourist stuff—it's how you start feeling less like an outsider and more like someone who belongs (even a little bit).

Here's the thing: you don't need to go big. Start small and local.

Attend neighborhood festivals or community events. Take a cooking class focused on local cuisine (bonus: you'll meet people). Learn basic phrases in the local language beyond "where's the bathroom?" Visit places locals actually go, not just the expat hangouts.

Try one tradition from your host culture that initially felt weird or uncomfortable. That's often where the breakthrough moments live.

These experiences don't just build cultural knowledge—they build your confidence. Each small step outside your comfort zone proves you can do this.

Quick start: This weekend, go somewhere in your city you've never been. Preferably somewhere without other expats.

4. Engage in Nature Therapy

Why it matters for expats: When everything feels unfamiliar, nature is the universal language. Trees don't care if you have an accent. The ocean doesn't judge your visa status.

Spending time in nature helps reduce the constant low-level stress of living abroad. It gives your nervous system permission to relax—something that's harder to do when you're always navigating newness.

Make it a habit to immerse yourself in whatever nature your new location offers. Mountains, beaches, parks, gardens—even a tree-lined street works. These moments help you disconnect from cultural overwhelm and remember you're a human being, not just an expat managing logistics.

If you're craving hands-on connection, try gardening or tending to indoor plants. Watching something grow under your care can be incredibly grounding when everything else feels uncertain.

Quick start: Tomorrow morning, drink your coffee outside. No phone, no plan. Just you and the sky.

5. Create a Vision Board

Why it matters for expats: Living abroad can make you feel like you're starting from zero. A vision board reminds you that you're not lost—you're building something new.

This isn't just a Pinterest project. It's a tool for remembering who you want to become in this chapter of your life.

Gather magazines, printed images, or digital collages. Think about what you want your expat life to actually look like—not just surviving, but thriving. Focus on areas like:

• Career growth in your new country

• Relationships and community you want to build

• Personal growth and identity evolution

• Adventures and experiences you crave

• The version of yourself you're becoming

Place your vision board somewhere you'll see it daily. On tough days (and there will be tough days), it reminds you why you're doing this.

Quick start: Open Pinterest and save 10 images that represent the life you want to create abroad. Notice what themes emerge.

6. Practice Random Acts of Kindness

Why it matters for expats: Loneliness is one of the hidden struggles of living abroad. Random acts of kindness create connection without the pressure of making "real friends" right away.

Plus, kindness is a universal language. You don't need fluency to make someone smile.

Look for small opportunities in your daily life:

• Compliment someone's bag at the grocery store

• Help a tourist who looks lost (you remember what that felt like)

• Leave a kind note for your neighbor

• Pay for the coffee of the person behind you

• Offer directions to someone who looks confused

These gestures remind you that you belong in your community, even when you don't feel fully integrated yet. They also shift you from feeling like an outsider to being someone who contributes.

Quick start: Today, genuinely compliment one stranger. Watch what happens to your mood.

7. Start a Gratitude Jar

Why it matters for expats: Living abroad amplifies everything—the good moments feel magical, the hard moments feel impossible. A gratitude jar helps you remember the magic on days when homesickness hits hard.

Choose a jar or container that feels special. Keep small pieces of paper nearby. When something good happens—big or small—write it down and drop it in.

Write about:

• The local who went out of their way to help you

• The moment you successfully ordered food in another language

• The sunset you watched from your new city

• The friend back home who texted at the perfect time

• The day you felt like you were exactly where you needed to be

On rough days, open the jar. Read your notes. Let them remind you that you're not wasting this opportunity—you're living it fully, mess and all.

Quick start: Write one thing from this week that made you think "I'm so glad I moved here."

8. Volunteer

Why it matters for expats: Feeling useless or underemployed is a common expat struggle. Volunteering lets you contribute and connect, even when your career hasn't caught up to your new location yet.

It also fast-tracks your sense of belonging. When you're giving back, you're not just living in a place—you're part of it.

Identify causes that align with your values:

• Language exchange programs (you help others, they help you)

• Community events that need volunteers

• Environmental projects in your new city

• Organizations supporting other expats or immigrants

Beyond the impact you make, volunteering introduces you to people who share your values. These connections often become the friendships that make your new place feel like home.

Quick start: Google "volunteer opportunities" + your city name. Pick one thing to try this month.

9. Eat Mindfully

Why it matters for expats: Food is often where culture shock lives. Everything tastes different, looks different, feels different. Mindful eating helps you develop a relationship with your new food culture instead of just surviving meals.

It's also a practice in being present—something that's challenging when half your brain is still living in the past.

Start by eliminating distractions during meals. No scrolling through photos of food from home. No video calls with family back home while you eat. Just you and your plate.

Pay attention to the appearance, smell, and texture of your food before taking a bite. Chew slowly. Notice unfamiliar flavors without judgment. Ask yourself: Am I eating because I'm hungry, or because I'm homesick?

Over time, this practice helps you appreciate your host country's cuisine. It also teaches you to be present in your body—something that grounds you when everything else feels up in the air.

Quick start: Your next meal, eat without your phone. Just notice what you taste.

Your Expat Life, But Make It Sustainable

Living abroad isn't about getting through each day until you "figure it out." It's about building a life that feels good right now, even in the messy middle.

These practices aren't one more thing on your expat to-do list. They're invitations to feel more grounded, more connected, more like yourself—wherever in the world you are.

Start with one. Add another when you're ready. Trust that small, consistent actions create the kind of stability that no visa can provide.

You moved abroad to grow, not just to survive. These simple practices help you do both. And if you need more support in your transition, you can book a free call here, where we can create a roadmap for you to recognize who you are now and how to thrive living abroad.