As a psychology major, you would think that I would be the one psychoanalyzing my family — not the other way around. But from my experience so far, my mom somehow knows more about therapy than I do. To give you all a little glimpse into what I learned in PSYCH 3510 Introduction to Clinical Psychology, there’s a kind of treatment that focuses on the connection between clinical problems and personal problems such as grief, role transition, and — well, you’re not taking the class, so the specifics aren’t important. Basically, when changes are happening in your life, they can have big effects on your mental health. That’s how my experience with homesickness was.

I didn’t initially adjust to life abroad well like the rest of the people on my program. Every morning, I would call home because I felt like there was really nothing else I could find the energy to do. During one of these calls, my mom told me that the reason I was feeling so down was because I was grieving. Sure, I hadn’t permanently lost anything but I was grieving the loss of how my life was for the past 20 years. So, I had to start treating the adjustment to my new life as a form of grief.

How do you combat grief? You acknowledge your feelings, remind yourself that you’re allowed to miss your loved ones, have a little cry and get yourself up and going. (This is also a quote from Bluey, an Australian kids show!) How do you get yourself up and going? Say yes to everything! Go to the Sydney Opera House with the people you met two days ago. Watch a movie with some other international students. Go to a different beach every weekend. Do whatever you can to get yourself up and attached to your new home. But, you also have to know your limits. If you push yourself too far and put too much on your plate, you’re going to end up in the same routine of feeling like you can’t do anything. Grief is hard, so you need to find the routine and balance that is best for you to adjust to homesickness.

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Learn more about this blogger’s study abroad program: IES Abroad: Macquarie University