If you've always dreamed of living abroad, even for a short time, now might be the perfect time to turn your dream into a reality. Why? Because according to a new study, living abroad can help you gain a clearer sense of self — and if you ask me, a journey of self-discovery is a great excuse to take a break from the monotony of everyday life. , enjoy a long vacation. Live and try your luck in a completely new place.
"When you leave your comfort zone and move away from the friends, environment, and family you know, you're essentially starting from scratch," career and life coach Jenn DeWall tells Bustle. "Things that once gave you confidence, such as being supportive friends and being your best at work, no longer give you confidence. Living abroad requires you to discover and meet new people, build and develop your sense of self, To adapt to the new life and cope with the new challenges and new situations of overseas life. "
To take a closer look at the effects of living abroad on people, social scientists from Rice University, Columbia University and the University of North Carolina recruited participants (some of whom had not lived abroad before) from online groups and from across the United States and North Carolina. . International MBA program and then have them complete a survey about life abroad. Researchers have found that living abroad triggers "self-identifying reflections": Immersing yourself in a new culture forces you to examine the cultural differences between your host and home countries—and, in turn, these reflections help you understand more clearly who you are who. What it is and what you value.
But what does self-clarification actually mean? “Clear self-awareness means understanding your own values, what is important to you, and what your mission/purpose in life is,” DeVore says. "It also means you understand what you don't want in life. When we have a clear sense of self, we are better able to make decisions that are aligned with our happiness (and not others')."
Why it’s important to have a clear sense of self
Learning about yourself is a long journey, and – spoiler alert – it never really ends. But there are ways to enhance the process of self-discovery, and pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone and doing things that challenge you (like living abroad) is one of the best ways to learn about yourself quickly. But why is it so important to have a clear sense of self in the first place?
"It's important to have a clear understanding of who we are because it's directly related to our happiness and confidence," DeVore said. “When we know who we are, we can make decisions that make us happy. The more decisions we make that make us happy, the more confident we become. When we don’t know who we are, we become feeling A victim of being stuck, or starting to compare yourself to others and judging yourself, which can create unhappiness and a lack of self-confidence.”
Simply put, the better we understand ourselves, the happier we can make ourselves – and who doesn’t want to be happier and more confident?
How do you get clarity *without* going abroad?
Before you rush to book a week-long stay in a foreign city, though, you might want to pause: In the study, the researchers also found that when it comes to increasing your sense of self, depth—that is, time spent Length of study abroad – more important than breadth – is the number of countries in which to live. So if spending a "long" period of time abroad isn't for you, what can you do to work on understanding yourself and gain a sense of clarity?
"Start by doing personal development exercises," says Devore. "Try doing a values exercise or writing a mission statement. If that's not your style, try new things without friends that challenge your comfort zone. One of my favorite quotes is 'Comfort should scare you.' "What this essentially means is that if you're too comfortable, it's time to start growing again and challenge yourself, read different books, try new hobbies, do things that scare you. "
Ultimately, while spending time living abroad and exploring new cultures can definitely help you grow as a person, traveling isn't the only way to learn about yourself. As long as you're always looking for ways to learn, grow, and challenge yourself, you'll quickly figure out exactly who you are and what you want—and then all that's left is to go out and get it.
