Living abroad is an incredible journey filled with growth and opportunities but also challenges. Discover how mindfulness and meditation can help expats and global citizens reduce stress, build resilience, and thrive in a foreign environment.
Maayan & Gal Founders of Smoozitive
Monday, January 20, 2025
Living abroad is, in our opinion, one of the best gifts you can give yourself. It’s a journey full of adventure, personal growth, rich experiences, and endless opportunities. But let’s be honest—this isn’t the full picture.
Life abroad can also be deeply challenging. While social media often showcases the highlights, the reality includes culture shock, homesickness, mental fatigue, and the uncertainty of navigating daily life in a foreign place. These challenges often come with what we call the “extra layer”—those small, everyday tasks that suddenly seem monumental in an unfamiliar environment.
We know this all too well. Between us, we’ve moved countries 16 times. We’ve done it miserably, and we’ve done it the right way. It’s been a steep learning curve, and even now, we still face moments of adjustment, frustration, and growth.
One thing that we find to be extremely helpful is mindfulness.
Meditation and mindfulness are more than trendy buzzwords—they’re lifelines. These practices have grounded us during periods of uncertainty, strengthened our resilience, and reminded us to stay present and embrace the beauty in this wild ride called life abroad.
When you’re living abroad, it often feels like everything is shifting beneath your feet. Adapting to a new culture, building a support system from scratch, and trying to figure out basics like where to buy decent vegetables or how to navigate the healthcare system can feel overwhelming. Mindfulness provides the tools to help you thrive, even in the face of uncertainty.
Mindfulness is a cornerstone of thriving abroad, a concept we explored in-depth in our article on the four dimensions of well-being.
Mindfulness is the practice of being present and aware of the current moment, without judgment. It’s a way of life, one you can incorporate into your everyday activities—whether sipping your morning coffee, walking through a bustling market, or simply pausing to take a deep breath.
Meditation, on the other hand, is a more formal practice that often involves sitting quietly and focusing on the breath, or guided visualization. Meditation is one way to cultivate mindfulness, but it’s not the only path.
For expats, both mindfulness and meditation are transformative tools, helping you stay grounded and adaptable in the face of constant change.
(Photo by Yan Krukau on Pexels)
Now that we better understand why mindfulness and meditation are such powerful tools for living abroad, a common question arises: “How can I actually practice it?” With so many apps, videos, and sounds available—some amazing (and some, admittedly, less so)—it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and end up doing nothing at all.
That’s why we’ve curated a list of free guided meditations that we believe are especially valuable for navigating the challenges and opportunities of life abroad.
Learn how to notice what you're holding onto and reframe stressful situations. Perfect for challenging days.
Pause and reset between tasks with this meditation, leaving you feeling more present and prepared for the next step.
This evening meditation guides you to relax fully, releasing tension and preparing for restorative sleep.
Reclaim your focus with simple breathwork and narrative techniques designed to bring presence to your day.
A meditation to release past emotional baggage and make space for embracing new experiences.
Priming isn’t a traditional meditation, but it’s a powerful daily practice we’ve personally used and highly recommend. In just 15 minutes, this routine combines breathwork, gratitude, and visualization to reset your mindset and prepare you for the day. By focusing on what you’re thankful for and visualizing your goals, priming shifts your brain from stress to empowerment, leaving you energized and ready to tackle life’s challenges—no matter where you are in the world.
This calming breathwork practice is ideal for moments of stress, helping you ground yourself in minutes.
Although this isn’t a meditation, we find this tool to be extremely valuable when living abroad. Feeling anxious? Try this grounding 5-4-3-2-1 exercise.
Shift your mindset and visualize the life you want to create through this powerful guided meditation.
Mindfulness isn’t just a tool for managing stress—it’s a lifestyle shift that can change how you experience the world. By practicing mindfulness and meditation, you can navigate the challenges of living abroad with greater clarity, resilience, and joy.
Like anything worth doing, mindfulness takes time and consistency. But as you develop the habit, you’ll notice a difference: a deeper connection to your surroundings, a calmer mind, and a renewed sense of purpose.
If you’re ready to take your mindfulness practice to the next level, the SYLA App offers a unique program, Mindfulness for Expats. Designed to help you navigate life abroad with grace, it provides guided meditations and practical tools for thriving on your global adventure.
Living abroad is a rollercoaster of experiences. With mindfulness as your anchor, you can turn the uncertainties into opportunities, find calm in the chaos, and create a life you truly love.
So take a deep breath, press play on a guided meditation, and remember: You’ve got this.
Maayan & Gal Founders of Smoozitive
Among other things they are dreamers, doers, sisters and of course living abroad. They strongly believe that moving and living abroad can and should be the experience we dream of rather than the one we fear. They dedicated their business (and their time and energy) to make sure that happens for as many people as possible. Smoozitive is where you start creating a life you actually enjoy living, no matter where you are.
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We help expats create a positive life abroad by combining expert knowledge and mindset work, all in a simplified way.
We help expats create a positive life abroad by combining expert knowledge and mindset work, all in a simplified way.
© 2024 Smoozitive SAS. All rights reserved
© 2024 Smoozitive SAS. All rights reserved