On music, migration, and the power of one more step.

By Antonio Aragón

There are moments in life when we simply want to give up.

When exhaustion outweighs clarity, when even getting out of bed feels like a silent defeat. It’s in those moments that a simple piece of music can feel like a lifeline. 

One of those songs is Try by Bugge Wesseltoft and Sidsel Endresen, a raw, quiet anthem for anyone trying to hold it together.

Especially for international students and newcomers, these moments sneak in unexpectedly. 

You wake up in a foreign place and everything feels… simply off!  

A morning when the light looks strange, your routine feels hollow, and you wonder: 

WHAT THE HECK AM I DOING HERE???

You’re not alone. 

Research consistently shows that international students and recent immigrants are at greater risk of mental health challenges, especially in the first year. 

Newcomer Mental Health Reports in Canada and other studies reveal a spike in emotional distress during this period, often tied to isolation, cultural dissonance, and loss of support systems. 

But there’s also hope, mental health awareness has become more relevant. 

So why ‘Try’ matters? 

It offers a quiet kind of hope.

Its message is simple and unpretentious. 

One of the lines I keep coming back to is:

“Get up every morning, you keep on trying.”

That’s it.

No grand transformation. No polished motivational speech. Just a quiet insistence to keep going. It honours the exhaustion without denying it. It invites us to take one more breath, one more step, one more try.

For me, the song has become a companion for those heavy days. 

And through lived experience, here are a few practices that help me… and may help you too:

• Build your support network: Find your people, even if it’s just one person. Join clubs, support groups, or communities (online or off) that speak your language, literally and emotionally.
• Understand the adjustment curve: The “honeymoon phase” often gives way to culture shock. That’s normal. Eventually, adjustment happens, and one day you’ll realize that you’re not just surviving, but belonging.
• Reflect and reframe: Journaling, voice memos, or even talking to yourself can help you process what feels overwhelming. Putting feelings into words has power.
• Be gentle with yourself: Recovery is not weakness, it’s how we adapt, reset, and grow. Migrant life is not a straight line. Believe me, I’ve been there! It curves through doubt, discovery, and unexpected joy.

So, to anyone who feels overwhelmed today: this post is for you! 

I invite you to take a moment, press play, and Try!

Let this melody remind you that trying again tomorrow is, in itself, a quiet act of courage.

Listen. Breathe. Connect.

Because even when you can’t see the path clearly, showing up, however imperfectly, is often the greatest victory.