HOW TO OVERCOME HOMESICKNESS?
Travelling abroad for your higher studies , work or travel could be a major change in your life. Coming from completely different culture ,environment ,society and going to completely brand new country or city could be a huge step.
Homesickness is normal. It’s normal to miss your home , family, friends, environment, food etc. Homesickness is basically getting emotionally distressed about missing out. Trying too hard to overcome homesickness could also develop distress and anxiety in your body, instead be easy on yourself, let yourself feel things only then you could handle the feeling of homesick.
Most often distress comes from not accepting our feelings. Instead of stressing too much on feeling homesick remember that it is ‘okay’ to feel this way and at some point these feelings won’t be an issue. Moreover, you could also develop a feeling of ‘FOMO’. Constantly checking your social media ,constantly worrying about what’s happening at your home place , thinking and imagining yourself there won’t help you instead it will create more chaos in your mind and spoil your mental health.
7 Symptoms of Homesickness:-
- i. Feeling sad , anxious , nervous, angry
- ii. Developing a feeling of insecurity , getting panic
- iii. Headaches
- iv. Having a disturbed sleep pattern
- v. Feeling isolated or withdrawn
- vi. Experiencing low self-esteem or low self-worth
- vii. Lack of appetite or concentration
Top 6 ways to help you overcome Homesickness
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- 1. Homesickness won’t go overnight :- “Patience is bitter, but it’s fruit is sweet.”- Aristotle quoted this very small yet deep quote about having patience is one of the most positive virtues in achieving anything in life. Instead of stressing over things which are not practically possible . Try meditation and mindfulness to keep yourself calm and patient . because every process takes time, the process maybe slow but its worth the wait.
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- 2. Talk to your loved ones(not everyday):- Talking about your feelings could be difficult but it isn’t impossible. Talking to your loved one’s could make the distance feel shorter. Videocall , text, audio call them it would help you feel less anxious but talking all the time or everyday could take you back again to the starting point and would keep you off from making new friends. You need your old loved one’s but you also need to start adjusting with your new surroundings. Remember the mantra 3E’s ‘evolve’ , ‘experience’ , ‘explore’ . practice these 3E’s in your life for better living.
- 3. Social media detox:- social media detox is one of the best tip to overcome homesickness, constantly checking your social media, checking about what people or your home friends are doing could make your homesickness even worse. The reels, the posts, the stories you never noticed normally you would start overthinking it more when you are away, you would want your old comfort life back, you would miss your home food, home place, old friends etc. you could build a feeling of giving up and going back to normal but instead of nagging yourself continuously on how things would have been different if you never came to abroad you should take a social media detox which has only pro’s . 1) it could help you with improving your mental health. 2) it could divert your mind from reel life to real life.
How to take a social media detox?
- i) Let people know :- The first step to taking a social media detox is to tell people.
Let people you interact the most know that you won’t be online for a while. This will do a few things.
First, it will keep you accountable. If you’re back within a few days posting stories and posts the people you informed might call you out on it. This will help you stick with the detox.
Secondly, it will let people know you haven’t disappeared if you wind up sticking with it. - ii) Delete your social media apps:- This step is required. I can guarantee you that you won’t succeed, if you keep those apps on your phone during your detox you’ll only check them once a week.
For this to work, you’ll need to disconnect completely. If that seems too hard, try a shorter detox. - iii) Plan what you will do during your detox :- after deleting your social media apps you would wonder how much extra time you have with yourself. Plan what you will do during your detox and actually applying it or doing it in your spare time.
Some suggestions that I found useful:
- *Reading
- *Spending time with friends and family
- *Learning something new (language, hobby, skill)
- *Working on a side project or business
- *Exercising, gym, yoga
- *Travel during your detox
“Go for a mediation retreat. Enjoy your time with yourself and explore your mind.”
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- 4. Leave your comfort zone behind :- “Comfort is your biggest trap and coming out of comfort zone is your biggest challenge” – Manoj Arora . A well said quote by Manoj Arora . I understand that getting out of your comfort is a difficult task but it’s one of the tip to overcome homesickness because sticking to same old routine, comfort could never help you achieve your big goals in life. Try making yourself flexible in every situation you already won half the battle if you can adjust in any situation. If you become too attached to where you are and who you are ,you can’t grow , you can’t evolve, or expand the best version of yourself Give up on excuses.
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- 5. Keep your mental health above everything :- keeping yourself physically fit is okay but keeping yourself mentally fit is important. There are gonna be times where you would loose yourself, wave of sadness,distress,anxiety will hit you. But, keeping yourself away from all of these is the trick. Firstly, you gotta train your mind to be stronger than your emotions or else you’ll lose yourself every time. Secondly, distance yourself from negative thoughts and feelings . avoid overthinking or stressing about things it will get you no where and lastly, make a habit of meditating every day. Learn more about your cognitive thinking.
Here are some apps to help yourself :-
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- i) Calm (meditation and sleep app)
- ii) Headspace (meditation and sleep app)
- iii) Gratitude (self care journal )
- iv) Fit mind (mental fitness)
- 6. Remind yourself why you chose to move abroad:- Everytime you feel like giving up, remind yourself everyday that why you chose to move abroad , what made you take this decision at first because anyone can give up it’s so easy to do. But you gotta hold your strength and move forward. Self motivate yourself . start believing in yourself, you are braver than you think. More talented than you know.
If you are anxious about getting homesick or doubting yourself again and again to move abroad , talk to our certified yet experienced consultants for FREE NOW!One window overseas education offers one-stop solutions for all overseas educational needs. One Window has already helped around 6,500students to get admission. We provide you complete guide and clear all your doubts about moving abroad.