The Nomadic Study Session: Adapting Your Routine to New Environments

Hello Beholders! I hope everyone is doing well. As you may have noticed, I didn’t post last week  Adjusting to my life back in San Diego took up my time and I needed to get settled in. Some exciting news though: I got a job TAing (technically IAing) for my favorite class, Social and Corporate Responsibility! With that, I’m sure you can imagine that I’ve been busy working, getting back into school, and seeing all the people I missed while abroad. 

Speaking of getting settled into and figuring out my routine in San Diego, I’ve been thinking about how I balanced my time in Barcelona. I’m a person that likes structure and routine in my life. I flourish off of organization. But while abroad, this is hard to achieve, especially in a city that parties every night until 6 am. If you’re anything like me and looking to study abroad, this post will hopefully help you out!

Why is routine important? 

Routine keeps me sane. It helps me to feel like I’m on top of things and then prevents me from getting stressed out. It’s also a way to make sure I get done all of the things that are important to me. If I do it in the same order every day, I know if I’m missing something. So overall, it just provides stability which helps me a lot in my day-to-day life. 

Mindset

Really, the first thing to help with being comfortable with your life abroad is recognizing that you probably won’t have a solid routine. I use this quote a lot but finding comfort within the uncomfortable is key in this situation. You just need to remind yourself that you’re abroad and shouldn’t fixate too much on having structure. 

With that being said, I think that there isn’t really a way to create a full routine. BUT you can help yourself by creating a “fake” routine. 

Mornings

The morning is the foundation for your day. It’s essential that your “fake” routine starts in the morning because then you are off to a good and comfortable start. 

Find One Stable Thing

The way to make your routine work while abroad is to have a minimal amount of things that are part of it. For me, I would start my day with an espresso and then head over to the gym. And that was basically it. From there I knew I got in two things that I like to do every day. 

Going to the gym daily was what kept me sane. This was one of the only things that I was strict about. It’s something I hold on to in San Diego, New Jersey, and even when I was in Saint Lucia. 

I recommend that everyone find that one thing that they stay strict with. This could be going to the gym, a steady breakfast plan, a walk and call with a family member, or whatever helps you keep your sanity. Only having a few things that are high on your priority list to do every morning is essential to maintaining a “fake” routine. 

Overall, routine is hard to achieve in a foreign country where you’re staying out super late multiple days a week. So it’s important to have an open mind and embrace the mental challenges that you may encounter. But also, having just a few things that you do habitually helps keep your brain under control. I hope this post may have helped you if you’re prepping to go abroad or just struggling to find routine in your life. 

Sending virtual hugs and high-fives,

Chlo