This practice originated in Buddhism but has gained popularity in the Western world as a way to reduce stress and improve overall well-being. For expats, mindfulness offers a way to manage stress, reduce anxiety, and cultivate a deeper connection with their new environment.​

If you're new to mindfulness, getting started is easier than you might think. You don't 'do' a lot. It's more paying attention to things in your daily activities. You don't need to meditate for hours, or buy a special meditation accessory.

Begin by setting aside a few minutes each day to practice mindfulness. Simple exercises like mindful breathing, body scans, or walking meditation can be very beneficial for people living abroad.

These simple practices can help you feel more grounded and centered in your expat journey.

One of the biggest challenges expats face is dealing with uncertainty. Whether it's adapting to a new culture, finding a job, or building a social network, uncertainty is a constant struggle for expats.

Mindfulness can help us embrace uncertainty with curiosity and resilience, rather than fear and anxiety. By staying in the present moment we can reduce our stress levels.

In fact, most of our stress comes from us being in the future or our past. We think about things that haven't happened yet or feel bad about things that already happened.

Living in the present moment, in the 'here and now', helps us avoid stress caused by future or past events, thoughts and emotions.

You might ask yourself 'How'? How to stay in the present moment?

And that's a fair question. There are a couple of ways to do that. The best one, in my opinion, is breathing mindfully.

You don't have to change your breath, or count. Just be aware of your breath, focus all your attention on this specific thing you are doing. This is one of the most effective ways to be present.