5 tips to help you deal with homesickness.
We have all experienced transitional periods in our life that take us away from our roots- Whether it’s moving away to college, embarking on a new job in a new state (or even country), or going on a vacation. Although these experiences can be invigorating, it’s also completely normal to feel homesick during these moments.
As humans, we naturally gravitate towards our customs, traditions, and routines. When we change our circumstances, we tend to feel a big shift in our daily rituals. We notice the absence of certain things; such as the presence of your friends or waking up in a certain room. To this end, we start to miss the little things in life that we took for granted, and thus, we begin to feel homesick.
If you are experiencing feelings of homesickness, we have listed five tips below that will help you navigate your emotions. We hope they will help you emerge out of your funk because you deserve to be happy.
Accept your emotions.
The first step to tackling your homesickness is to accept that you're homesick. It’s okay to be sad. It’s okay to be frustrated. It’s okay to be confused. Embrace all of these emotions, and don’t fight against them.
You might feel like embracing these emotions will make you weak, however, it will actually do the complete opposite. It will make you much stronger. This is because you will be more open to accepting change. You have decided to embark on a new chapter of your life. You can’t do that without embracing only the good. You have to also embrace the bad and ugly. And for you, that means accepting your homesickness.
Bring tangible items with you that remind you of back home.
Sometimes an easy, yet effective, remedy for homesickness is to have objects around you that remind you of back home. If you don’t have certain items, you might find yourself being more nostalgic. However, if you have certain items with you, you will feel like you’re still back at home. Whether it’s your favourite mug, shirt, blanket or even photos of your family and friends, all of these items can help you smoothly settle into your new atmosphere. Ultimately, these items will bring you the solace and comfort that you are desperately yearning for.
Don't stop communicating with your friends and family back home.
Just because you may have moved to another country, doesn’t mean that you stop talking to your friends and family back home. I know you are probably busy trying to find a new set of friends to help you feel settled into your new environment. However, that shouldn’t be an excuse to neglect your older friends and family.
One reason why you are feeling homesick is because you can’t find those same connections you did back home with the people that are around you now. Therefore, you might be spending all of your time searching for new friends, as opposed to nurturing the relationships with your old friends. Geographic distance should not hinder the quality of your personal relationships. Your friends and family back home are easily accessible via text message, calls, and facetime. Allocate some time throughout the week to communicate with them. We are certain that doing so will help solve your homesickness.
Explore.
You have most likely made a big move to somewhere that is completely foreign. Although you may be nervous to go out and explore your surroundings, you definitely should make an effort to see what’s out there. I know when you are homesick, you are tempted to just stay in your room all day and sulk. However, you need to fight against that because it will intensify your emotions and make you feel even more homesick. We don’t want that to happen to you.
You have to accept that your new surroundings are now your new home. Therefore, you have to go out and see what it is all about. Don’t be afraid to go sightseeing, try new restaurants, or go for a walk by yourself. You can soak up the culture whilst keeping yourself occupied. Before you know it, you will acclimate, and thus, you won’t feel homesick anymore.
Avoid social media.
Although your friends and family back home are probably elated for your new chapter, it can be difficult to constantly see them plastered all over your social media. By constantly seeing the fun things they are doing (without you), you might start to feel like you are missing out. Therefore, your feelings of homesickness will start to amplify.
Try to lay off social media for a while until you have settled in. Sometimes ignorance is bliss. For your mental health, it might be better to be unaware of a social gathering your friends had. Seeing your friends having a fun time without you might make you feel like you’re missing out. Hence, not scrolling through your social media might be a good move. Sometimes when something is out of sight, it is out of mind. Sticking to text messages and phone calls, as opposed to social media communications, might be a better outlet to help you handle your homesickness.
“Home is not where you live but where they understand you.”
– Christian Morgenstern