Although I am a personal development blogger by profession, I am in no way a mental health professional. See my disclaimer for more info.
Are you having trouble adjusting after moving from home? I’ll teach you all about how to deal with homesickness!
Have you ever left home for a certain period of time and felt really emotional after a bit?
Yeah, that’s something called homesickness. We all deal with it at some point in our lives. It’s definitely an unconfortable feeling — especially because home is somewhere we typically consider safe and familiar. Leaving home for an extended period of time can cause anxiety.
I’ve exprienced homesickness before — quite a few times, actually! I go on vacation just about every year and after being gone for a while, I miss my family and get anxious to go back home. Over time, I’ve been able to cope with it by doing several things listed in this post.
So, if you or someone you know is dealing with homesickness, you’re in the right place. I’m going to give you 11 different ways to cope with being homesick. Are you ready? Let’s get into it!
THIS POST IS ALL ABOUT HOW TO DEAL WITH HOMESICKNESS.
What is homesickness, and why is it so common?
In case you don’t know what it means to be homesick, allow me to educate you. Homesickness is that uncomfortable feeling you feel when you’ve been away from home for a while. It could be for three days, three months, or even the rest of your life.
People usually experience homesickness when they head off to college, go on a vacation without their families, start their journeys in the military, or move out.
Homesickness is so common because we as humans tend to feel uncomfortable when we have to move and adapt to a brand-new environment that we may know little to nothing about. We’d much rather stay in a more familiar environment.
But refusing to leave gets in the way of your personal growth and freedom. So, if you or someone you know is feeling a little homesick, continue reading to learn some tips and tricks.
How to Deal with Homesickness:
1. Make some new friends
You might feel homesick because you miss your friends back in your hometown and haven’t made an effort to make any new ones yet.
I encourage you to go out and be open to meeting new people. You don’t have to start a conversation with just anybody or expect to become friends with everyone you interact with. But, make sure you put yourself out there and be willing to befriend people.
If you’re in college, you can meet new people and form strong, close relationships with them by joining clubs on campus and engaging in on- and off-campus activities.
If you simply moved to a new city, you can often meet new people in coffee shops and other similar places.
2. Connect with your family often
Please make sure that you stay in touch with your family — or whoever you maintained a special relationship with back at home. This could be siblings, parents, aunts, uncles, mentors, teachers, friends, significant others — anyone!
I’m sure you’ll miss them, so make sure that you keep in touch with them.
3. Do things that keep you happy & busy
If you’re feeling a little homesick, I suggest that you do things to keep yourself both happy and busy. Sometimes you just have too much time on your hands and you end up letting your mind wander off to a rather negative space.
But if you do something like indulging in a hobby, that’ll keep you busy and, well, happy!
RELATED POST: 67 Stress-Free Hobbies for Adults to Enjoy During Your Free Time
4. Don’t ignore your emotions
It might feel easier to suppress the emotions you’re feeling, but that’s actually the wrong thing to do. Instead, feel those feelings. Let it all out!
You’re going to feel a little uncomfortable by moving from such a familiar place.
5. Journal about your experiences
Any time you’re feeling a strong emotion, it’s a good idea to write about it. And one great example is when you’re experiencing homesickness.
It’s simple, too — just grab a blank sheet of paper and start writing.
FREE DAILY JOURNAL
This journal is my favorite because it includes a section to mark how you’re feeling before you start writing, plus just enough lines to let all your feelings out.
Journaling is absolutely one of my favorite ways to practice emotional/mental self care, and my free daily journal can help you do just that.
Click here to get the FREE journal now!
6. Reach out for emotional support
You’re not in this alone. Please reach out if you’re having a hard time adjusting to your new environment. It’s completely unnecessary to suffer in silence.
There’s many people you could reach out to, including friends, family, your peers, or even a therapist or mentor!
7. Explore your new environment
Maybe you’re feeling homesick because you haven’t gotten out and explored your surroundings. The next time you have free day, plan one or two things to do. Consider trying a new coffee shop, walking through nearby museums, or exploring the downtown area.
Go out and see the area you’ll be living in!
8. Be willing to learn the value of independence
I feel like I’ve been independent my whole life. I’ve had lots of responsibilites for years. But moving out — or even simply being away from home for a while — truly gives you a huge newfound sense of independence.
Any time I go on a vacation without my family, I just feel like an even more independent, mature version of myself, and I absolutely love it!
9. Reminisce about family memories
Spend some time thinking about your favorite memories back at home.
THINK: What are some of your favorite memories with your family? Tell me in the comments!
10. Bring special items from home
You can bring something like your favorite blanket or a family photo from home so you can still feel connected to your hometown.
11. Join a fun extracurricular
If you’re heading off to college, one thing you can do to assimilate to your new environment is join an extracurricular. There are tons to choose from — especially if you’re attend a public school. I mean, there’s sports, leadership clubs, nationality-specific clubs, and so much more.
Let’s recap!
We made it to the end of the post!
Today, we talked about how to deal with homesickness.
Leaving home can be challenging, and it’s something that we all do at some point in our lives — whether short- or long-term. I hope this post helped you or someone you know cope with being away from home!
Please remember to take time to take care of yourself!
I know, in this economy, it can be hard to find free things to do that are fun. That’s why I put together a list of 7 free self care activities to enjoy today!
In the midst of chaos, don’t forget to smile,
DeMarcus – your self care buddy
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