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How to stay active in your new country

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Written byAsaël Häzaqon 09 April 2025

Living abroad introduces you to many new experiences: a new university, a new workplace, and new friendships. How do you navigate these changes? How do you thrive in your new life overseas? Here are some essential tips for maintaining an active lifestyle while adapting to your new surroundings.

Explore your new city

Staying active begins with a crucial observation phase. What is the atmosphere of your host city? Explore your neighborhood and take time to settle in. Avoid the common misconception that once you're settled, exploration is unnecessary. You might know your neighbors and feel comfortable in your surroundings, but settling in practically differs from truly adapting. Settling might involve finding a place to live, starting a new job, or enrolling at a university, and can be completed in a few weeks or months. However, adaptation is a lifelong process in your new country. It involves continuous interactions that deepen your understanding of various local dynamics. You learn to navigate social norms with neighbors, colleagues, and friends effectively.

Remember, moving abroad doesn't change your core values, but the culture of your host country will gradually meld with yours. This integration helps you adjust to expat life, making you feel more at home as you familiarize yourself with the local culture and language. It's important to view adaptation as an ongoing, often subtle process that involves actively engaging with the local lifestyle daily.

Adjust your schedule to fit local norms

Many expats attempt to maintain their familiar routines from home—working on weekdays, studying, or taking courses. While keeping this pattern abroad might seem appealing, it can be restrictive in a new environment. Since you're in a different country, adapting to local customs is essential for staying active without risking burnout.

Examine how locals organize their days. Are they early risers? What does a typical workday entail? How are school schedules set? These questions are equally important if you're overseeing your children's schooling. While keeping your effective routines, also adjust to and respect your host country's educational norms and schedules. Achieving this balance will enable smoother integration into your new environment and help avoid the exhaustion that often results from cultural misalignment.

Manage daily stress effectively

Moving abroad introduces significant changes beyond just switching countries. You'll find yourself in new neighborhoods, encountering new faces, starting new jobs, and attending a new university. Internally, you're also adapting to a new language and immersing yourself in a different culture. These changes can be significant sources of stress. Many expats exert themselves trying to perform exceptionally, eager to avoid the label of "the foreigner" who has "everything to learn," especially if they've been living abroad for years.

While it's vital to maintain an active lifestyle and adapt to your new surroundings, it's just as crucial to understand and accept your continuous learning curve. Your adaptation extends far beyond your initial arrival, encompassing everything from how to interact with your new neighbors to the appropriate behaviors in various social settings at work or university.  

Accept your limits

Expats tend to feel overwhelmed by the challenges that lie ahead. Even after settling in, there might still be a lingering sense of needing to prove oneself, akin to an employee perpetually on trial. You might notice neighbors scrutinizing how you sort your trash or colleagues observing how you handle tasks, which can often feel like critical judgments. However, these observations could also simply be expressions of curiosity. As you adapt to your new environment, remember that the locals are adjusting to your presence as well.

Recognizing your limitations allows you to gain perspective. Perfection is unattainable, and you will have better days than others. While some locals may always view you as "the other," others will come to accept you as you are. Focus on these positive interactions and celebrate your successes. Continuously work on areas for improvement, keeping in mind that making mistakes is part of being human.

Being active does not mean being constantly busy. To avoid burnout, it is essential to disconnect. Take breaks, step back, engage in physical activities, go for walks, and socialize. These activities are not just leisure; they are crucial for adapting to your new environment and maintaining your well-being.

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About

I'm the holder of a Master's degree in Law - Political Science as well as a diploma from the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) N2, and have worked as a communications officer. I have over 10 years' experience as a web copywriter.

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