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Studying abroad is an incredible opportunity for exciting new experiences, personal growth, and learning about other countries and societies. On the other side, it can be really hard to adjust to a completely new environment and culture, and you might find yourself missing some of your home comforts and what was familiar to you before, which can take a toll on your wellbeing. Here I will share some of my best strategies for dealing with some of the challenges to your wellbeing you might experience while studying abroad: of course, everyone will have a unique experience and unique challenges, but I hope some of these could be helpful for you and your own situation!
Firstly, one of the most obvious challenges would be missing your loved ones from back home. When studying abroad, you rarely, if at all, get the chance to see your family and friends in person, and time zone differences can pose a barrier to communication. This can make you feel homesick or even lonely. The easiest way I have found to deal with this is to try to organise a weekly video call in the short period of time where our time zones overlap in the waking hours, and making sure I keep in contact with my family and friends throughout the week by text.
A final note on this – if you haven’t already set off, bringing a few sentimental physical objects that remind you of your family and friends to keep in your everyday space can make a huge difference. I brought a wooden model my brother made for me as a gift which I keep on my desk, and have kept the Christmas cards my family sent here. Having something physical that you can relate to your loved ones can make it feel as though a piece of them is there with you.
If you’re also super close with your siblings like me, it can be nice to try to set up something online to do with them – for example, me and my brother try to find one or two days a week to call and play online games together. Of course, it will never be the same as seeing them in person, but it really does help to be able to talk and hear their voices by adding that human touch that is hard to get through texting alone.
If you want face-to-face contact, it’s so important to meet and make friends with other students in your host country. Being able to chat, go to social events and have company for any exciting day trips or exploration is invaluable in another country. Other exchange students also know exactly what you’re going through when it comes to homesickness and study abroad challenges – we’re all in the same boat! This means you can bounce ideas and tips for wellbeing off each other, and you can also support each other with those initial settling in procedures at the start of the year, e.g. insurance, setting up SIMs and bank accounts etc. Not to mention, hanging out with your new friends can be great to relax and take a break from studying and exam stress, and to take your mind off anything that may be worrying you.
However, it won’t always be possible to hang out with your new friends or talk to your loved ones back home – this is why it’s also so important that you learn how to enjoy and value time spent by yourself, and how to make the most of it to improve your wellbeing. This could include some solo-exploration and seeking out new experiences in your host country – even something as small as trying a new café for your study space, getting out into nature in your local park, all the way up to solo travelling to other countries. Try to find something you find fun and interesting and just give it a go! Being in Japan, many places and experiences here are designed for people to go alone, so I’m lucky that this strategy is so accessible to me.
It can also be helpful to try to keep up with your old routines and do things that are familiar to you, whether that’s listening to playlists that you have on repeat back home, or going back to your comfort TV show. Living in a country that is completely different to the UK cuisine-wise, it can be nice to search out some import foods from home – but not too often, the costs add up very fast!
Finally, don’t forget to keep your physical wellbeing in check, especially in winter! Vitamin C is very popular in Japan for preventing colds – now, while there might not actually be that much evidence suggesting vitamin C actually works, it’s a good idea to keep a stock of basic medicines on you (including cold meds), as well as thermals, hats, gloves and scarfs to keep snug in the cold weather. This is even more important if you go to a country with a colder climate!
