5 Ways To Make Your Temporary House A Home
We’ve all experienced it—looking through Facebook or getting text messages from Mom and Barkley, the family dog—that dreaded homesickness. That longing for one’s home, those family and friends you left behind. It happens to the best of us, whether we’ve been gone for years or for a couple days.
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But adventure awaits, and there’s also no greater feeling than embracing something new and trying something different. It makes us who we are, it opens our minds. So that homesickness needs to be tackled, and here are some pretty simple ways to help fight that nostalgic mood you’re feeling:
1. Keep busy: Everyone gets the blues once in awhile, especially in a new city. Remember to stay positive and focus on how this experience can help YOU. Explore your new home! When you’re playing tourist, you don’t have time to think about what you’re missing at home. Stay active, hit a new trail or join a new gym. Say yes when someone invites you to join them on an adventure. Set up skype dates or FaceTime your family and friends. The more you do, the less likely you are to spend time dwelling on what you’re missing.
2. Make your home your home: Bring your favorite photos with you, as magnets or coasters, photo albums, digital frames. Bring your favorite pillow or blanket. Fill a shoebox with little knick-knacks or gifts from friends that you can place around your new home. Buy some candles, and treat yourself to a bouquet of flowers every week. When your home is your sanctuary, it’s hard to want to be somewhere else!
3. Make some plans: Invite your friends or family to visit during your days off to explore your new home with you. Camping on the coast, catching your favorite band at a brand new venue, wine tasting in Napa Valley…don’t limit yourself to just working and explore your new city. Explore what else the area has to offer. And don’t forget to make plans for your next assignment, where else do you want to go?
4. Embrace the new: New city, new friends, new things to try…new you. Maybe you’ve always wanted to learn how to surf, and how convenient is it that your new position is in Los Angeles? Or maybe you’ve always wanted to take cooking classes – how wonderful that Seattle has great cooking classes at Pike Place Market? It doesn’t hurt to try out something new, and imagine what you’ll learn about yourself along the way.
5. Practice the art of solitude: Let’s face it, sometimes doing something by yourself is better than doing it with someone else. I constantly treat myself to movie dates, going at off-peak hours without worrying about being late (sorry but I love the previews) or if the movie choice is good for everyone. Go do something that you want to do, and enjoy yourself while doing it. Spending time alone is a great way to grow, both creatively and personally.
Travel nursing does not have to be a lonely experience, where you yearn to be home at every moment. Your adventure becomes an adventure based on how you interpret it. Sure, there’s no place like home. But there’s also a world to explore.
