- Heya playa, have you ever been away from home long enough
to feel homesick?
Whether you're leaving for a trip, going off to college,
visiting family, or going to summer camp,
it could be easy to start missing your home.
I was asked by my friend Ryan Ching on Instagram
and Snapchat to do a video about feeling homesick,
so I figured today I'd share my ideas
since I'm on vacation myself.
♪ This is The Josh Speaks ♪
♪ Watching The Josh Speaks ♪
- As you can see, I'm not in my normal location.
I'll be away from home for the week traveling around,
and I too am experiencing a little bit of homesickness.
One of the most important things to recognize
about being homesick is that it may not exactly
be about missing your home.
It may be about missing the familiarity
of everything that you're used to.
When you're home, you develop a routine.
You do the same activities, you talk to the same people,
things seem orderly.
But when you go away, you have no choice
but to change around your schedule.
I know being away from your element sometimes
can seem kind of weird, but that's okay.
In fact, some of the feelings you might experience
while being homesick are nostalgia, depression, and anxiety.
Nostalgia is simply having a sentimental longing
for something that once was.
It could be the smell of your house when you wake up
in the morning, meeting up with your friends
every day for school, or just relaxing in your room
on your own terms.
Depression is something you might be experiencing here
because things are a little bit different.
They may seem more stressful, more confusing,
or a lot less easygoing, and that can make
you feel kind of sad.
Anxiety is something you might also experience
if you feel like you have less control
over your new surroundings.
Maybe you feel like you don't have the freedom
to do whatever you wanna do or even worse,
when you go back home, everything will be different.
A good way to calm your homesick feelings
is to keep something sentimental with you.
That can literally be anything that reminds you
of your home environment.
For me, I brought a book that I'm currently reading
and that I keep on my bedside at night.
That way, every single time I open it up here on the trip
and read it, I feel like I'm back at home.
For you, this could be anything.
It could be carrying a stuffed animal,
a picture of you and your friends, or even just listening
to music that you listened to when you were home
may bring you back into the moment.
Having something like this will keep your mind grounded.
It'll make you realize that even though things
are different now, home will always be a part
of who you are and no one can take that away from you.
One thing you should always remember is that if you are
feeling homesick, you don't have to keep
those feelings to yourself.
If you keep your feelings bottled up,
it's only gonna come out in the form of negative thoughts.
That's why it's super important
to talk about the things you feel.
You can share stories about you and your friends
and all the different things that have made you you
so you can have a more solid grip on your own reality.
Because it's when you don't talk about your feelings
that you start to feel like you're completely alone
in your thoughts, that there's no one
that can relate to you, and you have no choice
but to suffer through these experiences by yourself.
It doesn't have to be that way though.
Feelings should always be mentionable and manageable.
So, whether you're talking to a friend, a parent,
a teacher, a counselor, anyone you can, go for it.
Remember, you can't always control your environment.
I know sometimes we wanna have everything orderly
and to our liking, but that's not realistic.
For example, you might be in a situation where you won't
be going home for a long time, and that can feel
like it kind of sucks.
But worrying about it won't make the time go by faster.
That's why it's best to get a grip on what's the most real
thing in this moment right now, the present moment.
Try to take the time to get used to your new environment.
Learn about the new area, meet the people that are there,
and do everything you can to make this new environment
your home for now.
Think of being homesick like one of those finger traps.
The more you pull away from the present moment,
the harder it's gonna be.
But if you relax, adapt to your environment,
and make the most of it, time will fly by
and you'll get your fingers out.
What do you think, though?
Do you ever feel homesick when you're away from home
for too long?
Leave your comments below and we'll talk about it.
Try your best to enjoy where you are right now.
Life is kind of like a picnic.
It's not so much about the destination
as it is about planning the trip, packing up the food,
and heading on over there.
Everything is part of the experience.
If you wanna learn more about managing negative thoughts
and feelings, definitely check out the video over there
on the side or check out the playlist below it
with tons of videos that will help you out.
Enjoy your trips guys.
Enjoy your summer.
Make the most of it as best as you can.
As always guys, love and peace.