Living abroad and far from home can lead you to uncomfortable homesick feelings that, if not controlled, can bring you down. Remember that such a period in your life could be a unique and enriching experience if you stay in a positive mood. Let´s go through some tips to be happy while living abroad:

• Explore your new country

Find out the best touristic spots within your new country and make plans to discover them as soon as you can. Make plans to explore these hotspots once or twice each week. It really doesn´t matter if you do them on your own, as you can take this time to learn to know yourself better. Learn as well about the culture and the history of the country to understand your new environment better.

• Take a break from Skype and Social Media

Thank God for technology and that it allows us to keep connected with our family and friends back home but please, do not spend 2 hours daily chatting on Skype or snooping around what your friends are doing in your home country though Facebook or Instagram. Leave technology aside every now and then to actually live your new life.

When defining the British there are many stereotypes that come to mind: they are extremely punctual, they love their tea more than anything in the world, they respect the Queen and are proud of being British, they act cold when they don´t know you… but, how do foreigners really see them?

• They are polite and have good manners: in general Brits are the most polite people you have ever met, and you will find yourself rude sometimes even without wanting, just because of that lack of extreme touch.

• They love black humour: the English sense of humour is usually dark, wry and even bitter. Making sarcastic jokes is part of their culture.

• Their food sucks: fish and chips is the only internationally known British culinary dish and let´s be honest; it´s plain and boring, but they do not like being reminded about this fact.

Most migrants take the step of moving to a foreigner country (that usually is very far from their home country) in order to pursue happiness. It is easy to become disappointed if we are not flexible and open-minded enough or if we had too high expectations about our new life. Despite happiness does not mean the same to all of us, these are some basic advices to lead us to fulfilment:

• A healthy body and mind helps to manage our emotions, which are normally strong while living abroad. Get enough sleep, eat healthy and do exercise!

• Accept who you are and be happy and grateful for it, comparison with others will never lead you to a happy life.

• Learn the local language ASAP and get close to the culture as much as possible to adapt to your new country. Think outside the box!

• Never give up! Keep rowing towards your goal no matter the storms you encounter, always be persistent.

Consume for a better world! Do you know the buying groups? This sustainable, healthy form of cooperation and consumption happens all over the UK. The idea of buying groups is people in neighbourhoods grouping up to buy products directly from local producers, so no supermarket or store involved.

With just a bit of organization people find a place in the neighbourhood where for example local farmers bring a weekly load of food for a certain price, which they divide amongst the members. This way you buy fresh vegetables or meat directly from local farmers and skip the supermarket or shop. He can deliver weekly or every fortnight crates of veggies, which you then split up in family or couple bags.