Expats are constantly separated from their families, and it's a difficult experience. One of the ways to lessen this feeling is by talking with other expats in your situation. There are millions of people who live abroad because they have no choice, but there is still that sense of loneliness.

This article offers 5 tips for lonely expats so you can stay happy while away from family and friends:

1) Surround yourself with like-minded people
This sounds immediately stupid because, well, Covid-19 but hear us out. Right now we're all being more open about who we are and what we want having been forced inside. It is finally totally okay to go search new people out on twitter, reddit or Facebook who have similar interests to us. For years I was a lonely cyclist, embarrassed by performance. Now I've found a new crew all online!

2) Keep a journal or blog
It is easy for days to blend into months and to feel like life is at a standstill. That is until I started journalling. Not every day. Not even most days. But infrequent enough so that when I feel like I can't turn off the voices in my mind. I can write them down and rediscover a younger more naive me. Even if that me was only a week younger.

It is therapeutic and sometimes the only thing that gets me through a day.

3) Get outdoors
There are lots of reasons to get outside! One might be just to escape your current situation. But when we think about it, our true love or hobby will always bring us back out there too. It doesn't matter if you want to go hiking in Nepal or hang gliding in Texas. When the time comes for these things again, you'll know where they are and what makes them so special. I force myself to walk outside, no music, for at least 5 minutes a day. You'll realise just how not alone you really are.

4) Make a list of everything you love about where you are.
This is a glass half full situation. You can actively change your mind. Do it. Remember why you moved.

5) Connect with people from home online who live near you and share adventures together over Skype or Facetime.

A global pandemic has been going on for over a year now, and many people are feeling trapped inside their homes. It is important to find joy in your daily life during this time of struggle. These five tips will help you do just that:

1) Watch a set of movies
Pick a theme. Marvel MCU in order? All Matthew McConaughey movies in chronological order? Whether it's an old favorite or one of the new releases out there, movies can take you away from reality for two hours and put a smile on your face. Find a theme and stick with it. The novelty of a bad movie will fundamentally shift your life. 

2) Listen to music
Find the tunes that takes you back. Find a time in your life that was so awesome, and put on the music that reminds you of it. For me, this would be my senior year of high school when I had an internship at my favorite radio station and felt like I ruled the world.

3) Watch TV shows from your childhood
You know what they say: You can't go home again...but with today's technology, we've come close! Dig out old classics and watch them in order. Did you know they were made in order? When we're kids we watched them in whatever order they were shown. Watching Stargat SG1 in order was mind blowing for me.

4) Hang out with your pets
There's nothing like snuggling up on the couch and watching a movie. Pets, especially dogs, are great company to have around because they make you feel more at home. The best part is that they don't need to eat or drink anything! Pets are living, random, unpredictable animals. Trust me some time with the pupper will bring you so much joy.

5) Make dinner in the crockpot
At least for me - I love setting and forgetting dinner. Then when it is time to eat - SURPRISE! FREE FOOD!

Many consumers are looking for ways to reduce their environmental impact and are going "zero waste" or minimizing the amount of waste they produce. This article will give you some great zero waste gift ideas that could be a perfect way to celebrate someone's birthday!


What is Zero Waste?
Zero Waste is when you do not throw anything away but instead reuse, recycle, compost, or repurpose your materials.


1) RecollectYou
We have to mention RecollectYou as number one. We remove double the carbon produced from every set of RecollectYou when purchased. In a world where tech originated carbon gets ignored, we're making a dent.


2) Reusable Ear Tips
While these sound gross, using one of these will allow you to keep your ears cleaner than ever and should prevent you from sending at least 100 Q-tips to landfill. Most come with customizable tips for better cleaning.


3) Recycled Shopping Bag
These work just like any other bag that you'd use to carry your groceries or packages home from the store. The only difference is they're not made of single use plastic (or paper!).


4) Recycled Pencil
These are made from recycled paper and lead, which can be sharpened with a hand crank. The possibilities for what you can do with these pencils is endless: draw, sketch, create the perfect color pallet, take notes in class - anything you want!

Long distance relationships were hard before covid-19. Now for some the chance of seeing their partner can still be years away. Here are some ways to help keep the relationship healthy.

1) Skype: This may seem like a no brainer, but one of the best things you can do is stay in touch with your partner through video chat or phone calls on Skype or FaceTime. When they're feeling down, just reminding them that you care about them and miss them will go a huge way.
​

2) Low pressure: Don't put pressure on yourselves to talk everyday or have to have something to talk about. By putting pressure on yourselves you are creating emotional debt that might never get paid. Talk when you can and know that they are just as excited to talk to you when they get the chance.


3) Make a plan: When both of your schedules allow, make plans to see each other or do something special together. Planning is key in a long distance relationship because it helps keep things interesting and exciting for both partners while making sure there's always something happening in their lives. You might not be able to plan on seeing each other in person but you can make plans to cook together, watch comedy shows together or even to sleep together online.


4) Begin at the end: Given that so much future planning is out of our hands. It is a great idea to understand truly what you both want, what you want that to look like and why. From there you can begin planning but you must begin at the end and work backwards. Does your plan include buying a house? How much money will you need - start planning now. Will you need to move to a new place - do the research now.

Covid-19 has separated families across the country and created a need for new activities to be done together from remote locations. With recent research showing that loneliness can have adverse effects on mental health, this article will highlight some of the ways that people are finding new and creative ways to stay connected while avoiding isolation.


1) Art Class
Families have started taking art classes together! Simple enough - all you need is some beginner art kits (can be ordered on Amazon) and to find a good youtube art tutorial.


One family member should host and will need to share their screen on a video call whilst playing the class. That person needs to regularly pause the video and make sure everyone is keeping up. While paused it is a great time for chit chat!


2) Murder Mystery
Popular before COVID-19, murder mysteries were a great activity for families. In order to play, you need at least one murder (or victim) and some suspects. One person will set up the scene with the victim, other people will join in as different characters or witnesses/suspects and read from a script until someone solves the mystery! Google has a ton of free and paid options for stories.


3) Online Board Games
Bring out that old board game box and let's get back to our roots! Except online! To find great games - pick the game you want and google "GAME online alternatives". My family and I have spent hours ripping each other apart on Monopoly and Risk knockoffs.


4) Karaoke
Yes you read that right. The age old activity of Karaoke. We do it more as a singalong and it is usually a train wreck but it is so much fun. Search youtube for "SONG lyrics" to find karaoke equivalent lyric videos to the songs you want to sing. On a video call there is always lag, but you'll make up for it in laughter.


5) Cooking class
Much like the art class - find videos of cooking/baking, make sure everyone has the ingredients and make it!