“I wish there was a way to know you're in the good old days before you've actually left them.”
- Andrew Bernard, The Office
As an international student, words cannot do justice to the perseverance and strength it takes to move away from home. New places, new people, new weather, new food are but some of the very few "new's" all of a sudden. The biggest enemy, navigating nostalgia; a familiar pathway, a deja-vu moment from back home, an old friend's birthday, stirring up memories that we bury deep inside to hide the ache of going back.
It takes but a moment to book a flight back home, just one day away from the comfort of what used to be, yet remains an intense longing. One of the biggest challenges that not only students, but anyone moving away from home feels is that of homesickness. There are a few sincere ways that help overcome this mammoth of an issue, some of which are personal, some standard and some maybe even irrelevant, a small piece of my mind that helped heal my heart.
Acknowledge
I think the core of the problem lies in denial, denial that nothing's the same, denial that we're okay and denial to acknowledge such a persistent issue. Acknowledging and realizing that we crave the past gives us stability to solve better.
Re-connect
Such cravings can be satisfied by reaching out to a near and dear to talk about the good times and create more familiarity in the new surroundings. A sense of comfort is established within this alien land opening up avenues of experiment.
Engage
Pursuing hobbies similar to the ones prior to moving helps motivate and give strength to survive and sustain the big changes. The use of a familiar coffee mug, the habit of playing music while brushing, the arrangement of the room can all add small but impactful changes to the mood bringing back a safe space.
Set a routine
This is one of the most helpful ways to overcome homesickness, it keeps us occupied and going rather than giving scope for feeling lonely. A routine keeps productivity high and also pushes the boundaries of everyday comfort.
Personalize
The advantage to being independent is to be able to create dependency by choice. Making new friends, buying a new plant to look after, having a pet, are all choices that personalize our environment giving us opportunity to focus on other things. We get to try things that weren't possible before, this acts like a catalyst to sustenance and survival, not just living but rather owning your life.
Overcoming homesickness helps build confidence in our surroundings and pave the way to a successful change. From creating a sense of home in a new environment to building meaningful connections, discover how embracing change can transform homesickness into a stepping stone toward a more fulfilling and resilient life.
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