Feeling Homesick After Moving Home? What to Do When Homesickness Strikes

Are you really missing your old home, friends, family, and all the familiar things and places that made your old place your home?

Do you feel anxiety, fear, or sadness since you moved home?

Are you feeling like you are deep outside your comfort zone, a little lost, and yearning for the feeling of security and familiarity that your old home gave you?

If so, then you could be suffering from homesickness which is a perfectly normal reaction to moving somewhere that is unfamiliar.

The good news is that not only is being homesick normal but there are ways to overcome it.

What Causes Homesickness?

Homesickness is the result of being separated from your home, from things that are familiar and make you feel safe and secure.

Being homesick is a form of mental distress and affects people in different ways, although almost everybody at some time in their life will feel the effects of homesickness.

The main causes of homesickness are

#1 Lack of Familiarity

When you move home, even just locally, things change.

Schools, shops, neighbours, and even the layout of your home will be unfamiliar.

Your routines may change, you may have a shorter commute or longer school trip, you may have no friends or family in the area, and you may not even know where the shops or library are, all of which will be unsettling to you.

#2 Culture Shock

Even moving within your own country, moving to a different county, even moving from the city to the countryside, you are likely to encounter culture shock.

Homesickness is a characteristic of culture shock.  

Social norms, local slang words or accents, multi-cultural neighbourhoods, or even a lack of multi-cultural neighbourhoods, can all result in culture shock.

#3 Feeling of Not Belonging

For a while, you will feel like a fish out of water. Nothing will be familiar.

Your new home, your neighbours, the shops, roads, and public transport will all be unfamiliar.

At first, you will feel that your new place is not your home, you will have no emotional connection with the home or your local community.

You may also like to read: How to Avoid Culture Shock When Moving Home. In this guide, we look at the symptoms of culture shock, how to avoid getting culture shock, and how to manage it should you experience it.

How to Know if You are Homesick

Being homesick can manifest itself in both mental and physical ways and how you experience homesickness varies between each person.

Can homesickness cause anxiety, depression, nausea, or panic attacks? Yes, usually, to start with, the symptoms of homesickness are physiological.

The symptoms of homesickness include:

• Constant feeling of loneliness
• Feeling sad for no particular reason
• Lack of motivation
• A yearning to return to your old home
• Frequent mood swings
• Feeling of insecurity
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Panic attacks
• Loss of appetite
• Insomnia

Can homesickness cause physical symptoms? Yes, if the psychological symptoms persist over the long term it is highly likely that physical symptoms of homesickness will also manifest themselves.

The physical symptoms of homesickness can include:

• Nausea
• Headaches
• Vomiting
• Stomach ulcers
• Diarrhea
• Muscle tension
• Muscle cramps

You may also like to read: The Bright Side of Moving Home. In this guide, we look at all the great reasons to look forward to your new home and life, it will help you remember why moving home was such a great idea.

Homesickness in Children – How to Help Your Child

Children can be very susceptible to feeling homesick as they especially need the feeling of security that familiar surroundings and people give them.

Moving to a new home, a new area, or a new school will expose them to lots of unfamiliar and unsettling experiences.

As a parent, you will have looked at the pros and cons of moving home and know all the positive reasons why you chose to move.

Young children especially will not understand or appreciate why they have left all that is familiar to them behind.

You can help your child adjust to their new home and surroundings by following these few simple tips:

#1 Acknowledge Their Feelings

You too may be feeling homesick, so empathise with your child and reassure them that it is perfectly ok and normal to feel that way.

#2 Surround Them With Familiar Things

As soon as you move into your new home unpack things that give your child emotional comfort. Favourite toys, the nightlight, or their favourite blanket.

This will help instill a little familiarity so that everything is not so different from their old home.

#3 Let Them Choose Décor

It will help them to think of this new place as their home if you let them choose a theme or colour for their bedroom.

Even if they get the Thomas the Tank Engine curtains they want, it will help them bond with the new home and feel a part of it.

#4 Stay Positive

Don’t allow your child or yourself to get trapped in the past.

There is a wonderful new adventure of discovering all the quirks of your new home, the new area you have moved to, and the possibility of making lots of new friends.

Focus on how the new home or area will improve everyone’s life.

#5 Give them New Experiences

There will be lots of new places and things to discover about your new surroundings.

It could be that you now have a kitchen big enough for them to help you cook in or perhaps you have a garden for the first time, or they have their own bedroom.

Create new memories, things that they look forward to that would not have been possible previously.

Highlight how the home move has made these new experiences happen, how moving home was such a great thing to have happened, and how lucky they are.

#6 Keep Routines

We all have and need routines, this is especially true of children and pets who need that stability.

So much will have changed when you move home but some routines need not change.

If you always go to the park on a Sunday morning, if the kids go to bed at 7 and you read them a story, if you always have pizza on a Saturday night, then these routines need not change and your kids will find the familiarity of these routines comforting.

Establish new routines as soon as you can, the sooner you can get some normality back into the children’s life the sooner they will accept their new home and surroundings.

#7 Encourage Socialising

Join playgroups, sports clubs, Girl Guides or Boy Scouts, anything that gets your children involved with other kids and gives them interest.

The more they fill their time and minds with activities, the less time they have to dwell on their old life.

#8 Give Them Time to Adjust

Moving home, especially to a new area, is a huge change for a child and will take them time to adjust. Be there to give a hug when they need it, or to play, or just be involved in their new life.

There will always be triggers that remind them of what they left behind, but if their new life is stimulating if you are there when they need you, if you spend time creating new memories, and give them time to get used to their new life they will soon settle.

You may also like to read: Dido The Dragon Moves Home. This is a children’s storybook we have written to help them understand and cope with moving to a new home for the first time.

Homesickness in Students – How to Cope With Homesickness When at College or University

Moving away to college or university is a huge transition from leaving the family home to going to a new home, new area, and facing the workload of all that studying.

You will be anxious about the course, about making new friends, and wondering whether you have made the right choices. And you will not have the familiar support network of your family and friends around you.

So much will change when you move away that it is inevitable that you will feel homesick. It would be more unusual if you didn’t feel homesick.

But be assured that your halls of residence will be full of people going through exactly the same emotions.

The Student Union and your place of further education will be there to offer you all the support you need, and with a few tips on how to deal with homesickness, you will soon overcome it so that you can get on with one of the most exciting and important times of your life.

#1 Accept That Being Homesick is Inevitable

Being homesick when moving away from home to college or university is normal, so allow yourself to be homesick and accept that it is a temporary emotion.

However, don’t allow yourself to be consumed by your homesickness.

Have a good cry then get out there and start having fun.

The student union will likely have organised plenty of activities for your first week and these are guaranteed to take your mind off your homesickness.

Soon you will be too busy making new friends and having fun to be homesick.

And if you are not really the socialising type then try to spend as much time out of your room as possible, go study in the library, join the gym, go running, and walk around the local park.

Keep your mind and time full of activities so that you divert your attention away from any feelings of homesickness.

#2 Take Familiar Things With You

When you move to college or university take some things with you that you find comforting and familiar. It may be photos, a blanket, even a cuddly toy, or anything that will give you a smile.

You will not be able to decorate your dorm or rented home but you can still have favourite ornaments or pictures dotted around.

Even the quilt cover off your old bed will make your new place feel a bit more like you belong there.

#3 Get Out and About

Homesickness is a result of being in unfamiliar places, of having no connection to your new place.

So get out there. Go exploring the shops, parks, and places of interest. Get to know your new city, find the best music venues, cheapest bars, or the best coffee shop.

Exercise, especially out in the fresh air is not only good for your physical health but your mental health too.

Even going for a daily walk will be beneficial to you and it will help prevent you from moping around in your dorm feeling sorry for yourself.

There is a campus full of activities and amenities to discover too. Your student union will be a great place to start and they will help guide you as much as you need as well as offering any support you want.

#4  Limit Contact with Your Family and Old Friends

Whilst of course, you will want to contact your friends and family, try to limit how much contact you have as this may only increase your sense of homesickness.

Turn off your social media notifications. Seeing all the latest updates from home and your friends will only make you more homesick.

You will have plenty of opportunities to go back in the holidays and catch up with the gossip so spend your time now building new friendships and a new life.

Ensure that you have a pact with your family and friends that they too are not messaging you every five minutes.

Agree on a time, once a week when you will contact the family or they can contact you.

Remember that your family will be missing you as much as you miss them, so managing your contact will be better for all concerned.

#5 You Will Have Good and Not-So-Good Days

You may find that your homesickness comes and goes. This is true for everyone.

Whilst it may appear that everyone is having a great time, especially when you see their social media posts, be sure that not every day is a wild party or every minute of every day your friends are having a great time.

People are selective about their social media posts so whilst they may look like they are having the time of their life, they have to study, have responsibilities, and are feeling homesick too.

 Don’t waste time comparing yourself to others.

This is your life, your time, so make the best of it and accept that even someone who lives in paradise has good and bad days just like you.

# 6 There is Support If You Need It

Every college and university has free support services available.

Don’t be afraid to seek help if you need it, it is confidential and they deal with students who are homesick on a daily basis, you are not the first to seek their help.

#7 Hang In There

Finally, give yourself time to adjust to your new life.

It is all too easy to pick up the phone and arrange to go back home after only a few days at college or university.

Handling change is a part of the road into adulthood and all through your life, you will continue to encounter changes.

Now is a great time to learn how to embrace change and make the most of the fantastic opportunities that come your way.

There is a wealth of resources and help in your college and university so that you do not have to face these changes alone, there is always someone available to chat with.

So don’t bail out the first time you feel homesick, get involved, get help if you need it, get plenty of exercise and fresh air, eat well and make sure you get enough sleep, and remember that every day is filled with opportunities that many have not been given.

You may also like to read: Everything You Need to Know About Moving to College. The A-Z of moving to College for the first time with lots of useful tips to make your move cheaper and easier.

Homesickness in Adults

You expect to feel homesick when you leave home for the first time or stay away from the family on your own for the first time as a child.

But as an adult, you have likely been through many changes throughout your life, and moving home is yet another change.

You may not have been homesick when you went to college or university. This may be because you knew this was a temporary thing, there was an end date to the separation.

But when you move out to start living in your own home there is no end date. Although your family may always be there for you as a safety net, this seems like a different ball game.

Or as an adult you may have started your own family and lived in the same home for many years, deciding to move later in life.

But homesickness can strike at any time, it has no time or age limit.

So how do you deal with homesickness as an adult?

How to Overcome Homesickness

As we now know, homesickness is the result of being unfamiliar with your new surroundings and yearning for your old home or way of life to return.

But homesickness is usually triggered by seeing our old home and life through rose-tinted glasses.

We block out the bits of our old home that were less than perfect and are nostalgic for only the best bits of our old life.

When you accept that homesickness is a temporary feeling and that there are things you can do to get over homesickness, then it becomes easier to deal with.

How to Deal With Being Homesick

#1 Realise That Being Homesick is Perfectly Normal

When you move home, being homesick is a perfectly normal reaction and nearly everyone experiences homesickness at some point in their life.

Once you accept that homesickness is not only normal but will pass, then it is easier to deal with, to put things in motion that will help you adjust to your new home and surroundings.

#2 Make Your New Place Feel Like Home

If you start to make your new home feel like yours then it will make a world of difference to how you feel.

Decorating the new home in your favourite colours and to your style will instantly help you bond with it.

Put up your favourite pictures, place photos and ornaments in prominent positions around the home and it will soon start to feel like you belong there, that it is your home.

#3 Find Your Happy Place

This may be a coffee shop, music venue, or bench in the local park, but find somewhere that brings you peace or joy.

Visit there regularly so that it becomes familiar and comforting.

You may even find like-minded people at the same location to chat with which will further help you bond with your new surroundings.

#4 Join Social Activities

Moving to a new location is a great opportunity to do things that you have always wanted to do.

Joining local clubs and societies, or volunteering, are all great ways to not only learn new skills but to expand your social circle and meet new people.

It is also a great way to learn all about the area, where the best secret coffee shops or tea rooms are, who the best local builders are, or where the best places to go are that only locals know about.

#5 Get Active

Moving to a new home and new area is a great time to break old habits and start new ones.

Being active is a great way to occupy your mind and is increasingly being prescribed to help those who suffer from anxiety or depression.

Just a daily walk in the park will help, you will start to see familiar faces, see how the colours of the trees and flowers change, and you will start to feel a connection to your new neighbourhood.

Join a gym or bowls club for example where you will not only increase your physical fitness but will make new friends too.  

#6 Connect with Friends and Family

It is so much easier to keep a connection with your old friends and family these days through social media.

But be careful not to connect too often or you may find yourself pining even more for your old life.

Use the opportunity when you connect with old friends and family to share all the great things about your new home and area. The more you reiterate the positives of where you have moved to, the more instilled it will become in your mind too.

#7 Keep a Journal

Write down 3 positive things about your new home or surroundings every day.

Remind yourself of all the great reasons you made the home move as well as the not-so-great things you left behind and won’t miss.

The more you see the positives in your new home and surroundings the easier it will be to let your old home go.

#7 Scents

Smells are an incredibly strong trigger when it comes to igniting feelings of nostalgia.

Nostalgia can bring feelings of comfort and help combat loneliness when we are in an unfamiliar place.

It could be the scent of freshly mown grass, cherry blossom, a burning log fire, or roasted coffee.

When you are feeling low and missing your old home, seek out the scents that comfort you and let the aroma wrap you in a blanket of nostalgia and comfort.

#8 Harness the Power of Homesickness

Being homesick can have a positive aspect.

Allow the feelings of homesickness to spur you on to create wonderful new memories, embrace all the new places and people that you see, and have a fresh start in life.

Moving to a new home and new area is a privilege that not everyone has in their life so make the most of this wonderful opportunity to learn new life skills, experience new things, visit new places, and to make new friends.

You may also like to read: What to do When You Regret Moving Home. In this guide, we look at all the different reasons why you may regret moving home and how you can overcome those feelings.

Homeopathic Remedies for Home Sickness

Does homesickness ever go away?

Using the methods we described above homesickness will often pass after you have had time to adjust to your new home. But homesickness can strike at any time, even after long periods in your new place.

Many people choose homeopathy as a way to help them overcome homesickness.

What is homeopathy?

Homeopathy is a belief that the body can cure itself and uses natural herbs and minerals to help trigger the body’s own defence mechanisms.

However, you should always seek advice from your doctor before trying any homeopathic treatments if you are already on any form of medication.

The website www.homeobook.com recommends the following to help treat homesickness:

• Ignatia – The go-to treatment for homesickness
• Arnica – Can help in acute cases of homesickness
• Aurum Metallicum – Helps treat sadness
• Belladonna – Can help in cases where symptoms are acute and volatile
• Capsicum Annuum – Helps treat insomnia
• Phosphoricum Acidum – Used to treat depression
• Pulsatilla – For the treatment of loneliness and sadness

Always seek advice before administering any of these substances. You can find a local Homeopath or doctor who is trained in homeopathy at www.britishhomeopathic.org  

You may also like to read: What are the Health Benefits of Moving Home? When moving home it is unlikely that you have considered how beneficial to your health it is. In this guide, we look at the unexpected health benefits of moving home.

We hope we have helped you overcome your homesickness and the nostalgia you feel for your old home.

It takes time and effort to get used to your new home and surroundings but I bet when you move again you will be homesick for the place you are currently trying to make your home and the people you will soon be calling friends.