As far as you can remember, it has always been a dream of yours to study or work in Australia. After immense hard work, you have put a tick mark on this milestone. But as days go by, there is this pittish feeling in your stomach that you are unable to put a label on. There is a higher possibility that you are feeling homesick, which is very common but one of the trickiest feelings to deal with.
It is normal to miss home, the familiarity of it and its predictable environment. To miss the people, your family, friends and pets is extremely natural. Alterations and adjustments in understanding how to cope in a new environment may take time to progress. Once you make sense of it and work it out, that skill can help you practice and experience coping with shifts or transitions later in life as well. When homesick you are generally anxious, depressed, show withdrawn behavior and find it difficult to focus on anything unrelated to home.
But worry not because DesiPedia is here to make you more comfortable in a foreign country and fight through the depressive symptoms of homesickness.
- Create a support network
“They warn us not to make homes out of people, they say it will hurt too much” as true as that is, it’s practically impossible to completely detach yourself from the people you’ve loved and grown with. But the good news is, you can always make more connections and build your community anywhere with given time and effort. Just because the people you once depended on are no longer a small distance or trip away, doesn’t mean you can’t reinvent that same support network in a new country. “What are these beating hearts good for if not to be a place for others to belong”- Rachel H.
Make new connections and keep in touch with the old, this way you are keeping yourself engaged and loneliness won’t dawn down on you. There are a number of ways you can find new people, especially through online means where there are a lot of possibilities for finding your Indian clan in Australia. A lot of applications, like DesiPedia have also come up where you can connect easily through safe and secure chat rooms.
There is a sense of joy in having a hearty conversation in your mother tongue, right?
- Talk about your feelings
What’s bizarre is how ashamed we feel about being homesick. Why does it come with feelings of guilt? Why do we feel like we’re not contributing enough back at home? Like we’ve said before, it’s completely normal to feel homesick and there’s nothing to be ashamed about. Talking to a therapist, school counselor or friend can help you deal with and understand your feelings. It always helps to vent out your troubles, provided you don’t make that your only focus. Try to be open and more importantly, accepting of your feelings.
- Make your house your new home
We happen to be creatures of habit and ironically, we’re constantly undergoing changes that are small or drastic. This can create a sense of anxiety and excitement. It is difficult to bring all your belongings from home abroad with you, but that doesn’t mean you can’t find ways, small and big, to make your new environment feel more like home. Turning your workspace and your home space into something that’s more comfortable for you will improve your feeling of control over your environment. After all, one of the reasons you’re probably experiencing this anxiety is because you haven’t quite yet felt like your new place is home. Spend a little time and money making your home a place you’re excited to come back to. You can look for beautiful Indian décor and furniture in Australia by signing in on websites and also apps like DesiPedia that give you information and insight about the Indian stores nearby you.
- Cook and hold multicuisine events of your own
One of the biggest reasons for homesickness abroad is the food you’re missing. It’s almost as if anywhere you go you crave for that one perfect Dal Chawal, Gulab jamun or Dosa, however tasty the cuisine is. To deal with this, you could go around the city looking for Indian restaurants or you can find all the details of the best Indian stores in Australia or dining options through DesiPedia. Another way to battle your cravings is to host your own events and gather your new friends for a potluck or get them to attend a cooking class with you.
- Keep track of your social media usage
As much as you’d like to see your family and friends from home and see what they’re up to, it can create a fear of missing out and get you down again. Try and understand that it’s not the end of the world to miss out on a couple of events back home. It can be difficult to remove yourself from going down that spiral. So, it’s important to limit your usage and always make sure that even though you’re nostalgic, it’s best to avoid negative feelings. Instead of following people’s every movement, focus on finding content for some exciting posts of your own. Of course, your friends and family are getting on with fun events but most of the time they are probably waiting to see photos of the street food you’re eating or hear about your adventures.
- Self-care
Keep in touch with yourself! This is the most important when it comes to homesickness. There are a bunch of different ways to avoid feeling blue. So many that you consciously or unconsciously block out your own feelings of mindfulness and growth. Try meditation, build a routine to stay healthy and exercise. You’ll find that feeling of homesickness fading as soon as you get your life on track and start to feel good about yourself and your accomplishments. Keep a clear headspace and think of the new day ahead.
Finally leaving you with this beautiful quote by Akif Kichloo
“I used to be homesick for places I had lived in or for people I had loved. Now I have this craving for the future as if homesick for the unknown”
