You’re making a temporary move across state lines, or maybe around the globe. You know you’ll be returning home someday, but for now, your temporary place doesn’t feel like yours. Whether you’re moving for a job relocation, education opportunity, or another life event, you don’t have to feel completely uprooted.
Once you’ve made your new city feel like home, you’ll be able to focus on enjoying your new adventure! Learn how to deal with homesickness using these tips to make your temporary living quarters feel more like home.
Pack Up Special Mementos
Temporary furnishings and spaces — no matter how fabulous they are — lack the familiarity of home. Even if you are traveling light, you should aim to bring a few familiar things with you.
Depending on how much space you have, you may choose to bring along:
- Your coziest pair of slippers or your lived-in loungewear set
- A meaningful piece of artwork to fill those bare walls
- Your favorite pillow and comforter to snuggle up with
- A comforting book to read
- Your best-loved mug
Packing a little “something special” into your carry-on bag can help fill up your new space with familiar memories and keep homesickness at bay.
Get to Know the Neighborhood
One of the best tips for fighting homesickness after relocating is to familiarize yourself with your new neighborhood. If you’re sitting in your new space thinking, “I’m so homesick,” shake yourself out of it by exploring your new city!
If you’re not sure where to get started, here are some ideas:
- Hunt for a new coffee shop
- Shop your closest grocery store or farmer’s market
- Explore new walking or running trails
- Experience local museums, concert venues, and attractions
- Seek out local shops or boutiques and buy gifts for loved ones back home
Take in the city from all angles and be sure to experience both the tourist attractions and the locals-only haunts. Getting the lay of the land will help distract you from feelings of homesickness while also helping you get comfortable in your new city.
Pack Your Favorite Photos
If you’re making a temporary move by yourself and are worried you’ll feel lonely, tuck a few photos of your most loved people and places into your suitcase. Surrounding yourself with happy memories is one of the best ways to deal with homesickness.
Consider selecting pictures that capture:
- Family holidays or birthday celebrations
- Your best friend’s laugh
- A moment that makes you feel proud, like a graduation or a debate team victory
- The landscape of your hometown or favorite vacation spot
- Childhood photos with siblings
- Your pet’s personality
You’ll instantly feel more at home once you start filling blank walls, empty bedside tables, and bare bookshelves with smiling, familiar faces.
Expand Your Social Circle
Though friendly faces in photos and keeping up with daily phone calls can keep you from feeling lonely, moving to a new city is a great opportunity to expand your social circle!
- Attend company happy hours
- Invite your fellow students to lunch
- Strike up a conversation at the gym
- Find and join interest related groups and clubs
Don’t hesitate to make friends outside of work or school: there are tons of ways to meet people in a new city! With a new circle of friends by your side, you’ll be feeling right at home in no time.
Get Cooking
The action of chopping, the sound of sizzling, and the scent of a home-cooked meal wafting through the air can help put you at ease. After moving into your non-permanent quarters, it can be tempting to go out to eat or order takeout every night. Fight that urge and instead make yourself at home in your new kitchen!
Here are some ideas to get you cooking,
- Try your hand at cooking with local ingredients and flavors
- Ask friends and family to share recipes for your favorite meals
- Mix up some no-bake recipes
- Look up recipes for your favorite comfort foods
Putting together a nice meal provides an opportunity to invite over new friends and acquaintances. Bonding over dinner is a great way to build relationships — some of which may last long after this move.
Make It Smell Like Home
Have you ever caught a whiff of a familiar scent? The sense of smell has an uncanny power to evoke emotional memories.
Pack or purchase your favorite:
- Incense
- Potpourri
- Candle
- Air freshener
- Perfume or cologne
- Flowers
No matter where you’re from, you can likely find a scent that reminds you of home. Even small things — like the scent of a particular laundry detergent — can make you feel instantly comforted. Filling your temporary apartment with a lovely bouquet of familiar smells will help keep you feeling grounded.
Find Comfort in Routine
In addition to filling your new digs with reminders of home, help combat homesickness by sticking to a routine. Though your surroundings may be different, your daily rituals don’t have to be. Adhering to a morning routine after the move will help you feel less stressed and make for a smooth transition.
Here are few things you shouldn’t switch up:
- Your coffee and breakfast habits
- Your grooming routine
- Any morning social calls to friends or family that you made during your commute
And a few things you might want to incorporate:
- Waking up at a set time
- Journaling or a gratitude practice
- Listening to a playlist of soothing songs
- Stretching or exercise
- Making your bed
Our morning routines help us stay focused and set a positive tone for the day. Think about those little moments you found comfort in back home and find ways to work new coping skills into your morning routine.
Decorate to Feel Like Home
Whether it’s your first relocation or your fifteenth, relocation services and furniture rental can help simplify the moving process and reduce stress. When you furnish your temporary home with CORT, you can rest assured that you’ll have quality fashionable furniture and decor.
In addition to providing short-term furniture rental packages, our team will deliver, set up, and take away your furniture and decor when your lease is up. Yup — you don’t have to manage a thing on moving day. With furniture packages from CORT Furniture Rental, you’ll feel at home in no time.
