How to overcome homesickness while living abroad
Homesickness is the most common challenge of living overseas, that likely everyone would experience. Homesickness is not limited to missing your home, friends, or family; it can be the streets you walked, the food you ate, or the environment you were in. I’ve experienced it and overcame it, so now I want to share with you how to overcome homesickness while living abroad.
Whether you move overseas for your job, to study, or even to visit the country for a short period can make you homesick overseas. I’ve experienced all sorts of homesickness, even now after 10 years of living overseas, I still occasionally miss the little things back home!
I have to say homesickness only really crept up on me the first 2 years I was overseas, after that, I understood better how to overcome homesickness while living abroad. Everyone functions differently, what worked for me doesn’t guarantee it will for you. But hopefully, these guides will keep you going until you can find your own way of dealing with homesickness!
How to overcome homesickness while living abroad
Homesickness is normal- Don’t ignore it
Often people think feeling homesick overseas is something embarrassing and would be afraid to talk to others about it. But after years of experience, I learned that it is perfectly normal and the more you face it the easier it’ll get.
Don’t let the feeling of homesickness build up, people break down at some point and it will be a lot harder to overcome it if you constantly avoid it. Once in a while, you want to distract yourself to ease the homesickness, and that’s totally fine. But just remember distractions are only temporary, you need to actually face them to overcome them.
I remember when I was 15 and alone studying in the state, I cried a few times as I missed home a lot, I felt like I lost connection with the people from back home. But after crying, and talking to someone about it, I felt much better and was able to enjoy my life overseas a lot better.
Socialize and get out there more
When you’re living overseas, the friends you make, and the people you meet will likely become your little family. And they will be the ones that are more likely to help you overcome homesickness while living abroad, that’s why it is important to go out there more and socialize with others.
Going out, meeting people, and socializing provide you a distraction from feeling homesick overseas, and it is also the quickest way to overcome homesickness. Of course, at times you feel like staying at home all alone and doing nothing which is fine. But don’t let it become the norm, staying all alone and sitting with your thoughts will often make your homesickness worse.
Whether it is drinking at night with friends, hiking or shopping, get out there and explore the country you’ve moved to. This is a way to start appreciating and seeing the beauty of the country! Check out here if you need some tips to make friends while abroad 🙂
Talk to others about what you’re going through
Don’t be afraid of telling others what you’re feeling, or how homesickness is affecting you. It is not healthy trying to keep everything to yourself, and eventually break down. You’d be surprised how others can be extremely supportive, and understanding.
You can talk to your friends, host families, or family back home, etc. Anyone, you feel comfortable talking to, it can certainly be hard at first to voice it out. For many reasons, you might not want to burden others, afraid people are going to judge you. Don’t worry about all that, once you’ve opened up everything will become easier.
When you talk to someone about what you’re going through, somehow the load just becomes lighter on you. Even without a proper solution to overcome homesickness abroad, you’d feel much better 🙂
Focus on the reason you move overseas
There are a variety of reasons you might move overseas, like better education, a better life, or simply just your love for exploring different countries. Just focus on that reason when you’re feeling homesick overseas. It will give you a sense of purpose and help you overcome homesickness while living abroad.
There are always things that you’d need to sacrifice in order to have the life you choose, and in this case; leaving the country you grew up in is one of them. For me, experiencing different cultures, and exploring the world is my passion, and also my favorite thing. So every time I’m feeling homesick or feel like I’m missing out so much from back home, I remember why I was here and how blessed I am to be able to do what I LOVE.
You can get through any hardship, including homesickness if you focus on the reason/ purpose you’re overseas for.
Don’t let social media swallow you
Social media has been a huge thing since the creation of Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, etc. People share their daily life and connect with others there, which is a good invention until you let it take over your life. And being able to connect with your friends/ family back home with social media is awesome, but there should be a limit to that.
If you’re constantly on social media chatting with the people back home, obsessing over the life you miss. It will eventually swallow you and not be of any help to overcome homesickness while living abroad. You can’t let yourself sink into cyberspace, and neglect the real-life environment you are currently living in!
Get off social media, and appreciate the surroundings of your current environment. Disconnect from cyberspace and connect with the people physically around you. They are most likely the people who can help you overcome homesickness while living abroad. And it is also healthy for you to connect with nature, instead of being online all the time 🙂
Find something new to do
Find a new hobby, or do things you would not have done if you were back home. Try out something new, it will distract you from all the negative emotions, and overcome homesickness while living abroad. You’d never know what might happen, you might end up finding something that you will eventually love very much.
It can even be trying out new food, a new cultural tradition you experience, or just a new hairstyle, new look, etc. People often get excited when there’s something new happening in their lives, and it will also help you settle in the new environment sooner when you are more active and have more plans in your daily life!
Me, I developed my love for hiking during my time working at Mt Cook in South Island, New Zealand. Which made me love the environment better, miss city life a lot less, and actually enjoyed my time there! Or you can try exercising and yoga, which you can also do anywhere, even when you are traveling.
Cook your home food
Food is one of the things I miss the most about Taiwan (my home), and it is not easy to find authentic, comfort home food while living abroad. And it can be one of the biggest things that cause homesickness while living abroad.
So I learned how to cook Taiwanese food by myself, and found many recipes online on how to make the food I miss the most. It helps a lot, especially as I cooked it by myself, it will taste good regardless haha! It not only helped me overcome homesickness while living abroad, but I also now have a new skill which is cooking, and it is such an important life skill I reckon.
Even better is to find someone who appreciates the same food as you and has a feast together. Or invite some people/friends over to share your home cuisines! The more the merrier.
Connect with your family and friends back home
With the blessing of technology nowadays, there are so many ways to keep in touch with your loved ones back home. Facetime, zoom, skype or just call them, etc. even if you don’t have much to talk about, sometimes just hearing their voice can make you feel better already.
And sometimes you just need to know that they’re still there to support you whenever. Just remember not to spend too much time online with the people back home, and forget about your life overseas. It’s always good to keep a good balance to help overcome homesickness while living abroad.
Create a bucket list for the holiday and go on a holiday
It’s always good to have something to look forward to, and a holiday is one of the best things (at least for me) to plan and look forward to. List out all the places you want to go and see in the country you’re in now. It will not only help you take your mind off feeling homesick, it will also make you appreciate the country more. And once you start appreciating where you are now, everything will become easier!
Always give the country you’re living abroad a chance before you decide this is not for me, and with an open mind. I didn’t particularly like New Zealand when I first moved here, but now I really love the place; as I learned to appreciate the beauty of mother nature, and all the amazing hikes.
It doesn’t always have to be a big holiday, it could be small weekend trips, day trips, etc. You just need to find some time to explore the country and allow yourself to have some time off to reconnect with yourself away from your daily busy routine.
Last but not least LOVE YOURSELF
Deciding to move away from home and live abroad can be a big decision and a hard decision for many people. No matter how it ends up, remember to love yourself and put yourself first. It is your life, and your choice to make, even if it’s a bad choice it is your bad choice to make.
Don’t get discouraged by feeling homesick, or by others doubting your choice. No one can ever know what’s going to happen in the future. If you’re brave enough to move away from your comfort zone, you are strong enough to overcome homesickness while living abroad.
And if you still feel overwhelmed by feeling homesick after trying all the methods, seek professional help. There are people that can provide the support you need, and some techniques for you to try out!
