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When packing up your life to move to a foreign country it is incredibly important to have a healthy and strong mind to get you through the hardships. I have decided to live a life on the road. I wanted to escape the norm of my college life and explore the world while I could. At my first stop, in Maui, I truly learned a different aspect of health. I learned the importance of mental health. Obviously I always knew your state of mind was just as important as physical health but I never put much effort in pursuing that side of a healthier lifestyle. Then Maui came along and I met an amazing group of people who were incredibly enlightened. They taught me the importance of being in tune with your inner self. I did loads of yoga and even picked up meditating (shout out to Headspace.com for being the best app) every day. As someone who stresses over the tiniest things, I slowly started to notice that I was becoming more zen about the little things in life. I started looking at life in a new way. I started to feel a sense of calm. When presented with a challenge, instead of stressing I would take a minute, take a few deep breaths, and look at the situation in a new way. Maui allowed me to be in a natural setting all day long and it was incredibly easy to remain positive with most situations. I mean how could you not with the views of the Pacific on one side and the mountains on the other.

When I moved to Ireland, however, it presented a completely different vibe compared to the one I had grown used to on my beautiful island. Dublin has the hustle and bustle of a major city. There are tons of opportunities available for those who seek it. The people here remind me a lot of the people in New York. They want to build their empire. Though people are so close to nature they sometimes get stuck in the world of the big city. They tend to stress about the little things in life.

Since moving here I have felt very confined. This is not to say I am not enjoying every minute of living here because I am. I feel so blessed for this opportunity. However, for a while a put aside my mental health in order to get on my feet. I quit doing my headspace and yoga. In a way I allowed the city mentality to get the best of me. I was trying to get the biggest bang for my buck. Attempting to see all of Dublin in a short amount of time because I wanted to ensure my nomad life was an actual thing… Now I have been here for a few months and I am finally figuring out what is actually important in life. I have decided that over everything I have to take care of myself. While I am training for the Dingle Marathon I have decided to also challenge myself to do yoga every day, and not to skip my meditation. I have become a lot happier in recent weeks by sticking to this routine. Anyone who wants to travel a lot, to try and live on the freelance train, or just doesn’t want a simple 9 to 5 should do as much meditation and yoga as possible. It can be a stressful lifestyle, but it is a good one. Meditation helps you make the most of it. Here’s to living a life full of enlightenment. A life where you don’t get distracted by the hustle and bustle of the city or daily routine. Here’s to a good vibe and a life not of “no stress” but of dealing well with the stress that you do have.