Coping with Homesick

Being homesick is very common to all people especially who are working abroad. If you feel sad and lonely, think about people at home all the time, and just feel generally depressed, then you are probably homesick. Fortunately, there are ways to cope with it.

The following tips should help you overcome your feelings of homesickness.

Get involved. Being involved in different activities will keep you busy, therefore reducing your time to be homesick. Participate outdoor activities like sports. Attend prayer meetings with your collegues, or going to the shopping malls with friends. Not only will these activities keep you busy and reduce your time to be homesick, but they will also allow you to meet more people and make new friends. The more friends you make, the less homesick you will feel.

Explore. Get to know your surrounding community by walking around. You will discover places where you feel comfortable hanging out. Once your environment becomes familiar to you, your feelings of homesickness should start to diminish.

Find a new hobby. To help take your mind off of home, get involved in a new hobby. Consider arts and crafts or an outdoor activity. Try to find a buddy who is interested in pursuing a new hobby too, so you will have someone to share it with.

Keep in touch with family and friends. Keep in touch with your family and friends from home through phone calls, texts, e-mails, facebook, twitter, etc. Just try not to call home every day because that might make you feel worse and increase your feelings of homesickness

Share your feelings with others. Many workers abroad, especially first timer, experience feelings of homesickness. If you share your feelings with your peers, you will find that you are not alone. Talking about your feelings with others who feel the same way will not only help you connect with those students, but it will also help you find more ways to adjust your life.

Keep in mind that your feelings of homesickness will go away eventually. As you get used to your new surroundings, you will grow more comfortable in your new environment.