Homesickness

A few days ago I felt homesick which I found quite odd as I no longer really have a place that I would call home so I began to think “what is homesickness?”

My experience of feeling homesick was a feeling of wanting to be somewhere other than where I am now, just for a little while. I wanted to be close to my family and have fun with some old friends. My first thought was that perhaps it is familiarity that I miss, and then I started to wonder if there was something uncomfortable in my life that I want to get away from. Why was it that I had been feeling perfectly happy and then I had felt homesick?

When life feels a bit uncomfortable even in a positive manner it is quite normal to want to resort to some comfort that we can recall from our past, and after a bit of consideration I realised that this was the case for me on this particular day. I had been making some changes in my life and this was causing some unease. I wanted to seek some familiarity in the form of being with family and I was feeling some nostalgia for my teenage days in East Africa and therefore missing some of my friends whom I have not seen for many years. I realised I was dwelling on the past and fantasizing about the future and as a result I was not enjoying where I am today.

Having realised this I was able to find some acceptance for the fact that on that particular day I was feeling homesick but I knew the feeling would pass eventually if I focussed on what I have in my life that I enjoy.

So how can we cope when we feel homesick?

• Ask yourself if there is something you want to run away from and not face. If there is something try to find a solution and see if the feeling of homesickness passes.

• Don’t fight the feeling; it’s ok to feel this way every now and then. Find a place for it, have acceptance for it, and know that it will pass.

• Phone a family member or a friend and tell them how you feel. It may help just to hear their voice.

• Find something you appreciate about where you are. If it is a place then go for a visit. If it is a meal then treat yourself etc.

• Meditate and breathe.

• Gather you new friends for a fun lunch or dinner and celebrate that you have each other.

• Write your feelings in a journal or in a letter.

Remember that it is quite normal to feel this way from time to time no matter who you are and what you are used to so don’t be too hard on yourself if you happen to have a homesick day ….

This entry was posted on Friday, May 21st, 2010 at 11:18 pm and is filed under Tips. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.