How to Handle Homesickness While Abroad?

Ways to deal with homesickness while traveling abroad

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Solution:

"One of the best thing you can do while dealing with feelings of homesickness is not to overthink it too much and just understand and accept that homesickness is normal."

In this article, we will discuss and share some tips to overcome homesickness so you can feel calm and peaceful.

With the benefits of advanced technology and applied sciences, it is now much easier and faster to travel around the world. The internet has allowed the possibility to even allow travel paperwork to be done remotely from anywhere. So it is most likely that due to some occurrence in your life, you might face a decision to travel around the globe or to a specific location.

Opportunity:

Some of these reasons might be your career opportunities, your health, a relative who needs you, even love. As a result of fast and easy connections, there are more international relationships now.

For any reason, you might have to say goodbye to your partner and probably have to move. So if you are scared of traveling and feel that you will be homesick on your stay abroad,

Here are some tips to help you cope with the necessary travels that you might inevitably take on.

Understanding and accepting that homesickness is normal:

Feeling of disconnection:

Part of traveling to a location far from home is going to be unexpected circumstances. These small unfamiliar things at first feel thrilling and so different from what you are accustomed to. Thus, for a few days or even months, most travelers never feel like missing home. The routine starts to set in and you start to have unexpected discomforts as you dive deep into the new life of where you are.

Stress and worry:

To some extent, a combination of stress, worry, loneliness and even depression sets in and you feel homesick. Some travelers even feel homesick just the minute they say goodbye, and this is very normal. For everyone who traveled far from home, they can confess feeling a nagging ache related to what they miss.

Solutions:

So the first part of coping with homesickness is coming to peace with the fact that this is inevitable and that it is a normal feeling for every traveler. Whatever makes you feel homesick, understand that it’s an experience. And just like any other, you can pass through it and you will.

1) Center yourself on the positive aspects

No matter how hard and different your new location might feel, there are always positive aspects. These, for example, might be different reasons that made you travel in the first place. Maybe it’s your job and you have a new team to work with, there are high possibilities that those people are eager to help you out.

2) Find communities or group:

Find out those who can fit some of the criteria of the social groups you are used to and start from there. You are to remind yourself that the opportunity of the experience will not be there for a long time.

So you need to get out of the feelings and start living. Always keep in mind the bright reasons that made you to travel, to begin with, and look towards enjoying them.

3)Find yourself a companion:
This advice may sound a little confusing but it is true when you are living abroad and feeling alone a true companion can be a real support . It does not necessarily means that it has to be your girlfriend or a boyfriend. It can be a girl colleague or boy colleague that you work with. You can have their number and chat with them. It will be awesome if that friend is also living abroad away from their families and loved ones. You can share your life and work stress with them and they will also share their burden with you.

4) Go out and get busy

Once homesickness sets in, the worst thing you can do is close yourself in. You have to go out and immerse yourself into the experience. You probably feel low energy when homesick and it’s obvious to think that this is the last thing you will be able to do.

5) Find a guide :

Find a contact that is free to show you around and discover new places. Stop thinking of what you are missing at home and realize what you are discovering in the new place. This especially helps if you get homesick the moment you leave your home country. Make yourself a tourist and find where you find the sparkles of joy in this new area.

6) Stop calling home all the time

When you miss your people, family, and friends; one of the things you will find yourself doing is calling them often. Calling and maintaining human interaction is great to make you feel whole again and for sure helps with missing them. They miss you and you need to stay in contact, and that is great.

What might not help you with your homesickness is overdoing it and always trying to run away from engaging with new acquaintances and families that want to welcome you in your new location. When all you do is connect with what’s familiar and feels safe, you miss out on new experiences and even might reject new relationships without knowing it.

So stop calling all the time, and open up to experience the new people and families around you.

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7) Turn your new location into your new home

Humans are always drawn to what is familiar and you are no exception. You have to realize that the quicker you make your new location familiar to what you are used to, the likely you will get over the feeling of being homesick. You cannot find or bring with you everything from your home country, but there are ways to turn your new environment into what you have control over. 

Start from your living space, set it up to your standards and spend time and money if necessary to make the new space look like what you are comfortable with. Make it a second home.

At your workplace, find trends and habits that are similar to what you are used to and keep going back to those as you progress towards becoming familiar with the new place.

8) Make sure you keep mentally healthy and practice self-care

As a lot of things unfold and change around you in the new location, you might feel that the change is too much and thus start experiencing homesickness. Work on your mental health by keeping a familiar routine and find ways to practice your energizing habits. You might not keep all your great habits, but try to compromise with the new setting and integrate most of them.

Build a routine around what comes easy and familiar to you. Keep yourself in positive vibes by treating yourself, document most of your positive experience and share them with those who care about you. Find new and lasting interactions, and don’t be afraid to embrace their new ways.

Conclusion

Homesickness is an experience that comes with traveling, it is natural and you should feel proud that you have some things and people to miss in your life.

So you don’t have to be stopped by this, find among many ways combinations to cope with homesickness that work for you.