Go on a trip

Nothing is as satisfying as treating yourself to a spontaneous trip. Just make sure you’re traveling to a country that doesn’t require a tourist visa for citizens of your country. If not, simply allow yourself at least a month in preparation for visa processing times, biometrics checkups, and passport deliveries. Remember, every visit to the country’s official consulate is one step closer to your bliss. Immersing yourself in a different culture and language is the perfect cure to being bogged down by the feeling that you will never be fully immersed in the culture of the country you chose to move to.

Go outside

You’d be surprised to find out how important oxygen can be to your wellness. Incorporating a few minutes of walking can do wonders for your body, your mind, and your butt! Just get out of the office and try to remind yourself that not every man in a red hat walking in the park is a Trump supporter. Clear your mind of thoughts like “I am not enough,” “I do not belong,” and “Oh god, another one of those immigrant kids in detention died yesterday.” Going outside allows you to enter your own little world. It’s a small cage-like bubble; similar to the ones all those kids are locked in.

Get organized

Declutter! Throw away all the books you don’t read and the paperwork you don’t need. Just get rid of it all. Except for the immigration forms. And the letters of recommendation written by authorities in your field of work. And the offers of employment signed by the employer and your US Agent. Throw away those old New Yorkers! Unless they have a write-up on you or a show you worked on and speak well to your work experience in this country. The best motto to go by is Out with the old and in with the new, as long as the old doesn’t pertain to your extended stay in the United States of America.

Switch jobs

Rather than allowing yourself to be overwhelmed by your environment, choose to change your environment. Work may give you money, which you can exchange for goods and services, but it can also get in the way of your happiness. Switch things up and look for a job that really leads you to your ultimate potential. (Throughout the process remind prospective employers that they will have to give you an H1-B visa for an alien worker, which costs about $6000-$10000 in application and lawyer fees, and even after you’ve paid there’s still a lottery to see if you get one. Odds are only about 215 in your favor, but still, sure, it’s worth a shot.) Shift your priorities and put yourself first — after the United States Government, of course.

Cook

Cooking is a great opportunity to make something from scratch that has a real value in the world. Go for something that brings you memories of the times when you weren’t stressed out. Make something that reminds you of home. Your roommate will ask you what it is and if it’s spicy. Tell them it isn’t. Explain with gusto what’s in your recipe while they interrupt you with comments like, “that sounds weird” and “so it’s like mac and cheese?” Once done, share your creation with your roommate. They will indeed find it too spicy.

Quit your job

For some people, a nine-to-five job provides a stable foundation for a blissful life. For others, it can feel like a cage that limits your spirit animal. Show the boss who’s boss by quitting your job, and allow yourself the freedom to go freelance! As long as your visa allows it. Even if it does, you’ll be paralyzed with fear after years of needing the specific type of talent visa that allows you to work for several employers at a time. But you’ll be free! Free to not work a desk job! Free to go to noon yoga classes! Free to work any job as long as it strictly pertains to the area of expertise you explicitly declared in your application.

See a therapist

Admit that you can’t face every problem on your own. Seek a therapist who can help you navigate the more stressful aspects in life, i.e. the feeling that 45% of the country would like to see you kicked out of it. This is a good time to remember that not every therapist works for everyone, and that very few of them actually know the realities of immigration so you’ll probably spend most of your session explaining how the immigration process works.