Coping With Being Homesick

If you or your spouse is part of the military, you likely have a great deal of experience on how to effectively address a crisis. When that crisis hits close to home, or if it occurs during a deployment or it involves friends or family that are far away, you might discover that your coping skills are challenged in ways that you never imagined possible. In those cases, you could find yourself facing feelings that are unfamiliar and not know how to deal with homesickness. Use Technology to Your Advantage Allow technology to be your friend when you are trying to overcome homesickness. With the many free options that are available these days, you don't have to worry about running up your phone bill and stressing the family budget. Mobile apps work on different devices so you can video chat with loved ones whether you are on-the-go or in bed. Divert Your Attention Though it can be difficult to do, try not to invest too much time or energy in thinking about the crisis. Allow yourself to think about it for a certain amount of time, and then look for ways to effectively divert your attention away from it, at least for a short time. Going out with a friend for coffee and blowing off some steam about the crisis can help. Your friend might even have some more ideas to help you learn how to battle homesickness that you have not considered. Exercise is a well-known stress reliever that can help take your mind off the crisis at hand for a few minutes. Whether it is a solitary act, such as swimming, or a team sport like a weekly softball league, pushing your body to its limits also raises your endorphins levels so that you are less stressed. Out of shape or don't have money for the gym right now? Grab a friend and take a walk around the block. New to the area and don't know any of your neighbors yet? Get the kids out on their bikes and explore your new neighborhood. Take Time for Yourself In order to pull this one off, you might need to get up a few minutes earlier than the rest of the house. You can gather your thoughts before the madness of the day starts. Or you might want to stay up 30 minutes later than everyone else goes to sleep and enjoy the peace of a sleeping and quiet house. Taking classes online allows you to use your brain and concentrate, with a clear end goal in mind. Pushing yourself to learn something new not only sets you up for future success, but it also gives you a sense of control and power that can be hard to replicate otherwise when you are undergoing a crisis. Regardless of the method you use, carving out time that is devoted only to you is an important coping mechanism when it comes to dealing with a crisis and being homesick.