Photo by Simone Busatto on Unsplash
During a global pandemic, living in a foreign land might seem a bit wild and unpredictable to some. Perhaps it is. But when it comes to your health and overall wellness in these uncertain times, you and your wild adventures have positioned you to have an advantage. I don't just mean you have extra time for an aerobics video while you work from home during social distancing, your opportunities reach far beyond that.
The skillset and resilience you have developed as an expat has perfectly positioned you to maximize your situation at a time of immense uncertainty and transition. Transition comes both when it is planned and intentional, and also when it’s not. You may not have planned for the job shifts, financial strain, moves (or delayed moves), extra time with your family through distance learning, etc. But you have done this, and planned for and handled these types of shifts your entire traveling existence. You, more than anyone, have the lifestyle skills to be empowered and thrive.
Times are hard, and it’s important to recognize that. Then, it’s time to slow down for a moment and assess. Stay with me for a few minutes and we can do it together. Because the things that need assessing, you know how to evaluate. The skills you have as an expat, as a nomad, as a traveler and transitioner are IDEAL for this moment in time. This moment when we’re in limbo and uncertainty. Let’s consider, and plan, our next steps.
Research and experience both point to the following two elements being integral in our overall well being. When Dan Buettner, of the Blue Zones, studies the healthiest people in the world, their common characteristics point heavily to these two elements. As an experienced mover and shaker, you know how much the following two key components of health and well-being matter, and how to shift them, when our homebound friends and family don’t have that kind of practice. They are:
With those important elements in mind, let’s take action. Make a list, start a page in your journal, or have a chat with a friend or partner about the following elements: In times of difficulty our priorities and needs are often highlighted. Consider:
Once you’ve made your list, (Knowing is not enough, action is what brings change - make a list!) consider this: When you make your next move, as you consider the way you want your life to look moving forward, what do you focus on? Adjusting your community? Creating a more comfortable homelife to embrace a cocoon of safety and comfort? A new career or upskilling to make a shift in the workplace or in your passion and purpose?
In this time of transition,intentionallytransition. It’s the perfect time to cultivate the relationships that really support and serve you, it’s an opportune time to consider and pursue meaning and purpose in your life. It’s an ideal moment to shift the environment and people around us, and/or set ourselves up for a shift in the future.
So while you might be pegged as the crazy one, by your friends or family back “home”, know that your ability to transition, adapt and rejig your life perfectly positions you to maximize your lifestyle and wellbeing in a time when these unexpected changes are leaving many lost and unsure how to proceed. You’ve got this wild wanderer!