*Try* Not To Lose Your Mind

Living overseas can be hard. Especially if it is like my experience where I'm the only American in my school, one of ten foreigners living in my apartment complex, and maybe one of 200 foreigners in a city of 4 million. 
Top that off with no Christmas, Easter, Halloween and missing weddings, funerals, and baby showers. It can be overwhelming and emotionally draining. 

How do I fight that off? I have a few ways and maybe it will help some of you out there reading this. 

1. If you have a hobby-bring it to your new country. It is easier to cope to isolation when you have something familiar and comforting with you. Personally, I love to crochet and sew and bake (I'm basically a grandma in a 25 year old body) but in China finding quality yarn, sewing equipment, and baking ingredients was impossible the first year. The second year I was in China I brought all of that stuff with me. It has been nice to do something I love. 

2. Eating your regular food. When I first came to China I wanted to fully immerse myself in the culture and food but I got homesick. Everyone does! If you eat turkey every year for Thanksgiving and then you don't eat it one year, it just feels wrong. Going to the foreigner market to get turkey made me feel so much better. When I first got to China I ate a ton of oreos because they tasted basically the same as USA oreos. It was a nice touch of home when I was feeling down. 

3. Get out of your house! When there is a language barrier it makes it hard to even go to the grocery store so it is easier to stay holed up under a blanket. However, going outside once in a while is so beneficial for my mental health. Even though the language barrier is a problem, I find I need to get out and do something fun. I always find something enjoyable to do and inviting a friend to go with me gets me to be more social. Joining a gym, going to a class, or signing up for clubs is a good way to make yourself get out of the house as well. 

4. Stay connected. I find it very comforting to Skype with my friends and family at least once or twice a month. You need to catch up with them, vent, and laugh for your own sanity. There is a bittersweet moment when doing this because you both will miss each other but I still think this is necessary to keep the relationships relevant and to protect your sanity. You just need a friendly face and people who speak your language fluently.

5. Celebrate your holidays! I mentioned this a few times in this blog but you need to do your own holidays and celebrations when they come up. The first year I thought by working on Christmas day would distract me from my homesickness, but it instead filled me with regret and anger. Take the day off! Go to church! Hide your Easter eggs! Put up a tree! Carve a pumpkin! I guarantee it will be so much better for you to do that. Plus if you invite the locals, they think it is a ton of fun and they love learning about Western holidays. 

6. Go to the movies. Maybe you aren't a big movie fan but in China they do get most of the USA movie releases and in English. While you live overseas, you are going to be behind on Western cultural changes like new slang, TV shows, and music. When I first went back to the USA over the summer, I felt really behind culturally but at least my film list was up to date. 

Have any other questions or tips? Write them below!