10 things for self care while Teaching Abroad

Teaching and traveling abroad is truly amazing, such an incredible experience which i am currently going through myself as i have chosen long term travel life.

However, amidst the excitement and challenges of living in a foreign country, it’s crucial not to neglect your own well-being. Practicing self-care is essential for maintaining balance, managing stress, and ensuring a fulfilling overseas teaching experience. 

I am guilty for neglecting my self on a number of occasions from just being nervous to language barrier so here's a few things i have learnt along the way. 

Key things to prioritize for self-care while teaching abroad: 

1. Establish Boundaries: Set boundaries between work and personal life to prevent burnout. Designate time for relaxation, hobbies, and socializing with friends. My personal rule is to never take work home... I do not mark at home, no homework nothing i keep a very strict boundry.

2. Stay Connected: Maintain connections with loved ones back home. Regular communication with friends, family, advice, and a sense of belonging. This one is realy hard sometimes you have nothing to say to everyone back home, sometimes they are not interested, sometimes you miss them more and it gets overwhelming and you miss them more.

3. Prioritize Sleep: It will be hard to pull yourself away from the enticing new culture you find yourself in. However, it is important to establish a consistent sleep schedule and create a relaxing bedtime routine to ensure quality rest. This is important that you sleepwell.

4. Nourish Your Body: Fuel your body with nutritious foods that support energy levels and immune function. Explore local cuisine while prioritizing balanced meals rich in fruits, vegetables. Stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water throughout the day.

5. Stay Active: Incorporate physical activity into your daily routine to boost mood, reduce stress, and maintain physical health. Explore outdoor activities such as hiking, cycling, or yoga, or join a local gym or sports club to stay active and meet new people.

6. Practice Mindfulness: Cultivate mindfulness practices such as meditation, deep breathing, or journaling to manage stress and enhance self-awareness. Take moments throughout the day to pause, breathe deeply, and check in with yourself to promote relaxation and mental clarity.

7. Engage in Self-Expression: Explore creative outlets such as writing, painting, or playing music to express yourself and relieve stress. Engaging in artistic pursuits can provide a sense of fulfillment, inspire creativity, and serve as a form of self-expression.

8. Set Realistic Expectations: Be realistic about what you can accomplish and prioritize tasks based on importance and feasibility. Avoid overcommitting yourself and learn to say no when necessary to avoid spreading yourself too thin.

9. Seek Support: Don’t hesitate to seek support from mental health professionals, counselors, or support groups if you’re struggling with emotional or mental health challenges.

10. Cultivate Gratitude: Practice gratitude by focusing on the positive aspects of your teaching experience abroad. Keep a journal, reflect on moments of joy and fulfillment, and appreciate the unique opportunities and experiences.

Minimalist Lifestyle - My Take On It

Minimalist Lifestyle The Basics 

*personal opinions are in red just like this text*

Minimalist Meaning: Keeping Things Very Simple.

A minimalist prefers the minimal amount or degree of something. But anyone who likes things very simple could be called a minimalist.

*I fail a little at this as I am a teacher*

Minimalist Lifestyle: 

Living with less. This includes less financial burdens such as debt and unnecessary expenses. For many minimalists, the philosophy is about getting rid of excess stuff and living life based on experiences rather than possessions. 

What is extreme Minimalist?: 

It involves choosing to live a life with only the barest of necessities for example having no furniture but that's the extreme side of it. *My personal opinion here is just make sure you wear the stuff you have and donate what you don't wear*

How to start in minimalist?: 

1: Create a clear mindset: Its important to have a good mindset as this will help in the physical decluttering process. Creating a minimalist mindset is living with awareness. *its really just about making a few changes to create a habit to start clearing your mental clutter*

2: Make your intentions clear: You need to know why you want to make this lifestyle change a reality, the reasons can be 

                   - You want to save money?

                   -You want more space around the home?

                   - You want more experiences over things?

If you start feeling over whelmed along the way go back to the beginning and go thought why you are doing this. *I started my journey so I can pay off debt then save for teaching abroad*

3: One room at a time: Pick one room at a time and focus on decluttering that space before moving on to the next one so you don't get overwhelmed and give up. *Listen carefully to this step because I got overwhelmed a few times and still do*

4: Get a system: Stick to the decluttering system! 

Your 3 piles could be - Keep

                               -Donate

                               - Throw

Don't keep anything for "JUST IN CASE"

*I always kept a bag of clothes that needed adjusting as I am just too small ill be honest I haven't got rid of it yet*

5: Your closet: Some rule to live by - 

- Never keep anything you feel uncomfortable in.

- Follow the old rule of throwing/ donating anything you haven't used in 6 months.

- Stick with a similar colour pallet so your clothes coordinate.

How to: Try everything on (EVERYTHING)

            : Get rid of anything with holes/ torn/ stained.

            : Donate anything you are not comfortable in or is too small.

*This is the first thing I did I tried one everything from tights, underwear, summer, winter clothes, everything*

6: Go paperless: *I am learning this part myself*

How to: Get everything paper out and make 2 piles KEEP/ BIN

Keep: Birth certificates

         :ID -drivers licence/ passport

         :Education Certificates/ degrees /diplomas 

         :Licences - Marriage/ divorce certificate

         : Insurance/ health polices/ tax information/ morgage

Bin: Old bills (longer than a year)

     :Payslips (longer than a year)

     :News letters/ update letters

     :Old employment contracts

     :Bank statements

*Most of the time businesses do a online option even in receipts so always opt for it if you can Don't just bin these documents as they will have sensitive information on the have them shredded or burned. Going paperless not only adds towards a more minimal lifestyle but it massively reduces your carbon footprint*

7: Experience not Possessions:

Choose to enrich your life with experiences or new skills maybe a new adventure.

Birthdays and Christmas's are great for new experience's.

- Fun group activity.

- Days out

- Picnics

- Fell walking

8: Replace don't add:

Try to resist adding to your possessions by replacing things why they are finally at the end of their life or too old to use and then only replace then if you really need them. Most of the time you already have something similar that could do the job or you could just with out it in general.

Resist as many purchases as possible we do not want to buy in to fast fashion or cheap items. *my own rule with this is use what you have first because no doubt you have a few of them. Remember old body wash and shampoos can be used as hand soap for the skinks once their in a different bottle no one will know the difference, I have one in my kitchen and bathroom sink for the hand wash same goes for body moisturiser they can be used for the hands also again just place them in a different container*

9: Consider alternative living.

Many people are living by smaller spaces these days. Space is a premium and anything that doesn't have a use is a nuisance.

- Van life *I always dreamed of van life but I cant drive*

- Small homes

10: Cut down TV: The average person in the UK spends 24 hours a week watching TV.

- Limit your tv to the evenings.

- Go on a walk/ hike

- Get into youtube (there's many free videos on there)

- Read a book

- Play cards/ board games

- Cook or learn to cook (see youtube)

- Talk/ Start a conversation

*I don't have tv haven't had for about 2 years now, I have Netflix/ prime and youtube. I get the news every morning from suri* 

11: Travel light: This is self explanatory.

Trust me you don't want to be lugging a suitcase around with you full of cloths you don't wear just because they were on sale.

12: Plan your meals: The UK household wastes £470 worth of food a year, planning what you will eat for the whole month/ fortnightly/ weekly helps and saves you money. 

How to: Write out the ingredient that's needed for the meals and only buy that.

           : Get delivery if you can then there's no temptation for browsing!

*I have four meals throughout the month so next months will be bolognaise sauce, sweet chilli prawn linguine, fajita wraps, curry (tikka, korma, saga loo ect). I spend one afternoon making all the sauces in batches then freeze them, I make rice and pasta, spaghetti fresh when I need it, my advice for that is don't freeze it I have tried it and for me it came out soggy when defrosted. When I need a meal I get one out of the freezer in the morning to defrost for tea in the evening*.

Links: The Minimalists These boys have been going for about 10 years and are now on Netflix.

Extreme minimalist Check out this lady if you want extreme

 

Sweet Almond Oil Benefits

                    Sweet Almond Oil

When the almond tree was first domesticated in the Middle Eastern regions of the Mediterranean, it was quickly discovered that the oil that came from the almond is extremely beneficial for healthy skin. 

Almond oil contains all sorts of natural goodness that includes vitamin E, vitamin A, essential fatty acids, proteins, potassium, and zinc.

As a very mild, hypoallergenic oil, almond oil is safe for almost all skin types - sensitive, dry, oily. Certain properties in almond oil deeply clean the pores without clogging them.

All you do is rub the oil between your hands to warm it up before applying to your skin. 

That's it! 

Uses For Almond Oil:

Cleansing - Sweet almond oil is actually excellent at purging the skin of toxins, opening up pores, and retaining moisture that blocks the entry of dirty microbes. It safely removes makeup including mascara too.

Puffy Eyes - Using sweet almond oil as a face moisturizer, pat some oil around your eyes before you go to bed at night. 

Moisturizer - Harsh elements, stress and the loss of collagen over time, wrinkles and age spots. Collagen, the protein responsible for keeping our skin youthful, forms an even layer of padding under the skin. As we age, fine wrinkles begin to appear due to the thinning of the skin and unevenness in the collagen padding underneath.

Lighten The Appearance of Scars - The properties of the oil keep the skin's moisture levels balanced, can rejuvenate the scar tissue, and can possibly even out the color and texture the healing process left behind. Applying sweet almond oil to your adorable baby bump will help moisturize as it grows!

Oily Skin - Our bodies naturally produce an oily substance called sebum, which is important for skin protection. If your skin produces too much sebum, it can easily trap dirt, clog pores and cause issues with acne. Sweet almond oil is great for cleaning your pores of impurities, dirt, and unnecessary oils.

Dry Skin - The fatty acids found in sweet almond oil helps the skin retain moisture and keep it hydrated while the vitamin E soothes irritation.

Hands and Feet - The zinc content can help smooth rough, calloused skin, Almond oil is non greasy.

Chapped lips - apply a little sweet almond oil onto dry, cracked lips and the nourishing properties of the oil will lock in moisture.

Healthy Scalp - By deeply moisturizing your scalp and hair with sweet almond oil, you can potentially soothe flaking and itching. 

               *DO NOT USE ALMOND OIL IF YOU HAVE A NUT ALLERGY*