8 ways to deal with homesickness

Eight months ago I packed a truckload of stuff my bags and moved an hour and a half away from the town I'd called home for the last four years. Although the move was exciting - it signalled the start of my life away from uni and my parents as a 'real adult', it was also terrifying. The town I needed to start calling home contained no one for me apart from my boyfriend: not one single family member, friend or even acquaintance I could call on. So, for the last eight months, as I've been adjusting to my new life, I've been hit with waves of homesickness, both for my university town, with all the friends I'd left behind, and the town I grew up in, where my family remains. These are the top ten things that I've found really help when homesickness overwhelms you:
1.) Get in touch with people you miss. This sounds simple, but it's one I kept forgetting to do, and it made me even more lonely. Drop them a Facebook message, and check in with how they're getting on. You can chat about what's changing back at home, and re-connect with your home-town that way.
2.) Re-visit your home town. Just because you've moved away doesn't mean you're gone forever. Go back and see everyone every so often, it'll help you to stay in touch with them. Revisit your old stomping grounds and discover what's new.
3.) Connect with your new town. There's only so much looking back into the past that will really help. Discover quirky new restaurants, or take a wander to the local parks. The release of Pokemon Go at the same time as me moving helped wonders in getting me out and about, and discovering new places in my new town.
4.) Don't isolate yourself. For ages I felt like an outsider in the town I moved to, and I really didn't make too many attempts to get to know people. This month I've met up with two local bloggers for coffee and joined a gym to enlarge my social circle here.
5.) Talk about how you feel. Whether it's to somebody living with you, or someone you've left behind. Express how you're feeling about the move, and they may have some suggestions or ideas to perk you up.
6.) Take some time out. Acknowledging that you feel homesick is fab, but it's important to recognise that it can have a massive toll on how you're feeling. Take an evening off of chores or hobbies, and just chill out. Make your favourite food, stick on a favourite film and consider why you're feeling homesick, and what might help: is it because you're missing someone in particular? Or a favourite place to go? Or just the comfort of being there?
7.) Engage in some 'home comfort'activities. You know the ones I mean: popping on a onesie, ordering a dominoes and binge watching some Netflix. Exactly as you would have done when you're feeling a bit down where you used to live. Just because you've moved doesn't mean everything has to change.
8.) Put up your homely accents asap. Moving to a new home can make everything feel a bit sterile and bare. Once you've got the main bits of furniture sorted, put things up that make the space feel a bit more 'you'. Get those candles out, pop your favourite bedding on and hang your photo frames up.
Have you moved away from home recently? What did you find helped you?   Follow me on Bloglovin | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Youtube