The underlying reasons driving the majority of expats abroad are all related to improving one’s lot in life. Whether an individual is going in search of a better job paying them more money or increasing their chances of career progression, or someone is seeking to retire overseas to a country where the cost of living is less and the lifestyle they can afford is therefore improved, the driving factors here are related to having a better life.
If you’re currently dissatisfied with your life and you want to make changes for the better, one of the ways you can potentially positively affect your life is to start all over again in a new nation. Whilst at Shelter Offshore we don’t believe you can reinvent yourself or run away from significant issues affecting you by moving abroad, you can certainly shake off any pressures and stresses associated with your current lifestyle and find a home in a country where you can potentially enjoy life more.
In this report we’re going to show you 10 ways that a new life abroad can actually make you potentially happier and healthier – no matter what stage of life you’re at…and if you don’t believe it’s possible, read on and prepare to be amazed!
5 Ways Living Abroad Can Make You Healthier
1) The Mediterranean Diet Can Help You Live Longer
If you move abroad to live in any Mediterranean nation – (and let’s face it, the favourite nations for expatriation with Britons are the likes of Spain, Cyprus and France, i.e., all Mediterranean countries) - and you partake of the local diet which is rich in olive oil, fresh fish, vegetables, fruit, grains and nuts, there is now proof in the form of American university based research to show that such a diet can apparently increase your life expectancy!
Men surveyed for the research whose diets most resembled the Mediterranean ideal were over 21% less likely to die within the 5-year test period than men whose diets had the least Mediterranean features. Similar results were found in the women surveyed too. So, if you’re researching your country choices and you want to live abroad and enjoy a longer life, maybe you should be looking at the Med?
2) The Mediterranean Diet Can Protect You From Heart Disease, Cancer & Parkinson’s Too!
The British Medical Journal also supports the Mediterranean diet ideal and has published its own findings that suggest those who live abroad and dine on fresh fish, olive oil, grains, fruits, nuts and vegetables and who cut their intake of dairy, red meat and alcohol are more ‘protected’ against diseases such as cancer, heart disease and Parkinson’s. Further proof, if it were necessary, that living abroad in a sunny nation where the diet on offer locally is close to the Mediterranean ideal is potentially very good for your health.
3) Living in a Sunnier Country Can Give You Healthy Teeth and Bones!
It’s a well-known fact that calcium is critical to maintain strong bones and healthy teeth – but did you know that your body needs vitamin D to absorb essential calcium? And the number one source of vitamin D is sunshine! Therefore, if you want to avoid osteoporosis, broken bones and crumbling teeth, you need some exposure to sunlight which can be exceptionally hard to get in the UK – even in the middle of the so-called summer!
If you move to live abroad in a warmer nation where the sun shines more regularly you can absorb more vitamin D, turn more calcium into goodness in your body and potentially enjoy better health as a result. However, do remember the risks associated with too much sun exposure and get the balance right.
4) Better Weather Makes Enjoying an Outdoor Lifestyle Easier
Everyone knows that an essential ingredient for having a healthy life is taking regular exercise, but in the UK where we’re forever having to plan our lives around avoiding the inclement elements, enjoying exercise is hard. Few people really enjoy the treadmill at the gym – most people prefer to be able to get out and exercise. So, whether you favour walking, hiking, swimming, golf or cycling, if you move to live abroad in a sunnier country where the weather is better, you’re more likely to be able to keep fit and active naturally. This will have massive health benefits and is just one more reason to consider living abroad for a healthier lifestyle!
5) Lessen Long-Term Stress and Live Longer
Our bodies and our minds do not thrive when consumed with long-term stress. Stress increases blood pressure and increases our risk of heart attacks and diabetes. Stress can also make you fat and its disastrous for your overall happiness. In the UK many of us live with increased stress levels because of the work we do, the untenable economic situation in this country, the commute to work and the ‘keeping up with the Jones’s’ pressure that the media keeps applying. By moving abroad, going in search of a better, more relaxed life, by taking the decision to change our lives and actively doing something tangible to improve our lot in life we can eradicate stress over the long-term.
If you want to move abroad to live, work or retire you should make your dream a reality because in so doing you are taking control of your life back and sitting in the driving seat which is empowering and good for reducing stress levels.
5 Ways Living Abroad Can Make You Happier
1) Sunshine Can Banish SAD
SAD – Seasonal Affective Disorder – is a reality for many who have to endure Northern winters. It can result in serious and debilitating depression. However, as everyone knows, light therapy is an excellent ‘cure’ for this disorder and so those who make the active decision to go and live abroad in a sunny country where the weather is better and the winter days are not so short and gloomy can genuinely lead a happier life!
If you find the long winters in the UK hard and you’re well aware that the grey weather negatively affects your mood, you may genuinely find living in a warmer, sunnier and lighter nation makes you a happier person all year round.
2) Fulfilling Dreams Can Make us Happier
If you dream of living abroad, actually making the move and achieving your goals and fulfilling your ambitions can fill you with a great feeling of positivity and success – naturally enough, such positive feelings can have a knock on effect and leave you feeling more content and even happier in life. If you constantly repress your true feelings and resist the urge to travel and have adventures then quite the opposite is true. So, reach out and embrace your dreams, move abroad and perhaps feel happier as a result.
3) Happiness is Contagious!
Professors from Harvard Medical School and the University of California have analysed data from the Framingham Heart Study and discovered that happiness can spread! Therefore, if your friends and family members are happy, you’re more likely to be happy – and if you live within a community that’s positive and have a social circle full or happy people you are far more likely to enjoy positive feelings on a consistent basis!
So, if you are unhappy in your current life and surrounded by others who are fed up with their lot in life, you need to make the move abroad for the sake of your long-term happiness! Of course, this means you have to relocate to a nation where the locals are well known for their laid back attitude to life and where the expat community is a happy one, but that shouldn’t be too difficult to achieve!
4) 80% of Expatriates are Happier!
According to the Happiness Index, a survey of expatriates commissioned by UKForex, almost 80% of those surveyed were happier with every aspect of their life now that they have moved abroad. Therefore, if you make the move you are far more likely to be happier than unhappier with your lot in life – so statistically speaking, the good news is that if you move abroad you are far more likely to be happier!
5) Don’t Let Life Pass You By if You Want to Be Happy!
If you let opportunities pass and you ignore chances in life you will live with a mounting sense of disappointment and this will equal unhappiness – fact! However, if you embrace prospects, chase after your dreams and allow yourself to go in search of what you want from life you are far more likely to achieve a sense of positive wellbeing – in other words, you are far more likely to enjoy feelings of happiness.
Therefore, if you want to see more of the world, if you want to live abroad, you want to travel, try a new country on for size and you fancy the thought of expatriating and starting a new life overseas, you need to go for it – otherwise you will always regret the missed opportunity. If you want to be happy, reach for the stars!
