Most people love to travel and many fantasize about living abroad in an exotic country. Relocating is not as easy as it might seem. When we visit a particular country while on vacation, we can become hypnotized by the culture, scenery, food, and fun activities that we get to experience while we forget about our daily lives back home. Moving is a completely different experience compared to vacationing because it is more permanent and will require leaving the comfort, convenience, and familiarity of home and adapting to a completely new system and way of life. Most expats become homesick which can be solved with a few easy tweaks in your daily routine. If you are an expat, or considering becoming one, here are 5 coping methods when moving abroad.
Bring smells from home
We generally underestimate the power of smell and the psychological effects that it has on us. Research has shown that smell can trigger memories and feelings of comfort. The reason why smell triggers memories is because the part of the brain that processes smell is close in proximity to the brain’s memory hub. Spend a little bit of extra time choosing scents that remind you of your native country and make it your mission to surround your new home with these smells. There’s a good chance the scents you are used to, whether they are candles or room fragrances, are not available in your host country but luckily today’s technology has made it possible for almost every product to reach your location. Shipping services like MyUS are even more helpful by providing you with the possibility to shop US and UK items and have them shipped to more than 220 countries and territories. So even if you’ve moved to Australia, you can get your favorite scents by clicking here and paying a very reasonable shipping price. Whenever you smell these familiar smells, your soul will transport you back to your native home and you will have tremendous comfort which will ease you into a new life abroad.
Meet other expat friends
Another tip is to make friends with other expats whether they are from the same native country as you are or not. Moving abroad can be lonely because you don’t have your friends and family around you. Making friends with other expats will provide you with a social life and encourage you to have fun and explore your new place of residence. You won’t feel lonely and having friends will help ease any feelings of being homesick. Invite friends over to your home and entertain. This is very effective at combating homesickness.
Watch home TV
You should also make an effort to get your hands on series and movies from back home. There are many platforms such as VPN that can make this possible and by doing this, you will be reminded of home. Hearing your native accent, seeing your native country as well as the familiar faces on the screen will help fight homesickness and provide comfort as well as entertainment.
Post photos
You need to take the time and effort to personalize your space and make it as comfortable as possible. Decorate your space beautifully and fill it with pictures from back home. Hang up pictures of famous landmarks, animals, or landscapes from your native country. When you see them you will be hit with feelings of pride and familiarity which will remind you of home. Living abroad can sometimes give you a stronger appreciation for your native country.
Food
Apart from friends and family, the thing that people probably crave the most when moving abroad is their local food from back home. Food is naturally very comforting and sometimes you can find a shop abroad that sells your local food depending on your country of origin. Take the time to cook your local dishes or try and hunt for a restaurant with your favorite local food from back home. Whenever you visit home, stock up on local snacks and also ask your family to send you a package with your favorite snacks. Food has great power and can easily transport you back home.
When moving abroad, you will miss home at some point and although you cannot replicate your home experience 100%, there are some effective things that you can do to help provide comfort and ease your feelings of being homesick. The most guaranteed things that you can do include incorporating smells from back home into your space, making friends with other expats, watching movies and series from your native country, decorating your home with images from home, and lastly, enjoying food from your native country.
Story by William Smith
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