Lovely people, I wanted to talk to you today about health and wellness. I believe I have a pretty healthy way of dealing with my emotions. I’m very good at understanding when I’m sad, anxious, or depressed and understanding what I need to do to get myself in a better mood.

Here are a couple of my tips to making sure you stay healthy and happy.

• Go Outside: If I’m ever feeling sad or depressed my number one solution is to go outside. Take a walk in the park, or sit on a bench outside, but don’t just curl up in a ball in your bed. When you go outside, you have the wind blow through your hair, the smell of freshness, the warmth of the sun beating down on you. All of these things, for me personally, make me forget my worries. Nature helps me understand everything will be okay and helps me smile at the small but beautiful things, like being in France. Sometimes we forget that.

Home made food, makes me happy (:

• Take time to your self. I’m a very social person and love being around others but I get social anxiety. So when I’m around to many people, or with people all the time it’s hard on my mental well being. I need to take me days, which I believe everyone should. It’s good to have a day to yourself, to reflect on your thoughts. Plan a day where you sit in the park and read a good book or buy a pint of ice cream and watch a new movie. Reflect on your life, like how’s school going, how are my friendships, how’s my love life, how am I doing.  Also do the acclivity that makes you most happy.

Having a relaxing day with some girlfriends (:

• Homesickness: I don’t really miss America but I do miss all my friends and family. I guess what I miss most is my friends are my family we know each other so well.   The most difficult part being in France is connecting with people on a deeper level and knowing that it’s just not a study abroad friendship. I’m not the type of person who likes to just become friends for a little bit and then the friendship dwindles. I’m the type of person who likes to make friendships that will last a lifetime. This has been the hardest thing for me. Of course, you will meet people where you will take the friendship past just a study abroad friendship and they will be beautiful. However, I want to take every relationship I’ve had abroad and have it be for a lifetime, which is probably not possible. So my advice to you is to love deeply and make deep connections with the people you meet and hope you’ll cross paths again.

Staying healthy and happy while abroad is very important. Your mental health is number one so make sure you take time to make sure you’re happy and healthy.

Brooke Begich is the Fall '15 CEA MOJO Blogger in Aix En Provence, France. She is currently a Junior at Iowa State University.