If you’re a travel nurse, travel LPN, or travel CNA, you probably love to do one thing above most others – travel! But that doesn’t mean that a touch of homesickness doesn’t creep up from time to time. Especially during these unprecedented times, with the pandemic making life more challenging and uncertainty popping up in many aspects of life, it’s important to safeguard your mental and emotional wellbeing. Read on for some tips on keeping home close to your heart, even when you’re far away.
Keep in touch with loved ones
One of the best ways to cope with homesickness is by keeping in touch with those back home. Whether you call your best friend once a week, email your siblings or former coworkers, or video chat with your close friends, the connections we have to home in the form of relationships can help keep us grounded and remind us that home is just a phone call (or electronic message) away!
Meet new people
While it’s definitely important to keep in touch with old friends and close family members, working as a travel nurse, travel LPN, or travel CNA can also provide wonderful opportunities for meeting new people. In fact, research has shown that face-to-face contact three times per week with family and friends resulted in lower reporting of symptoms of depression.
If you’re on the shy side, or just don’t know where to start, here are some ideas for connecting with new people – and reaping the benefits of interacting with others.
- Connect with your fellow nurses. Not only do you already have a lot in common, but shared experiences are a great basis for friendship. You could try planning a small get-together or asking someone you really seem to click without for a quick bite.
- Give an app such as Meet Up a try. This handy tool allows you to find groups in your area based on your interests. Categories include music, sports and fitness, and book clubs to name only a few.
- Give yourself a social prescription. For example, you could set a goal of reaching out to at least one new person a day. Meeting someone by chance or coincidence could result in a lifelong friendship! At the very least, you’ll hear some interesting stories and make some of the nurturing connections that are so vital to our mental health.
Explore new neighborhood
Sometimes all it takes is a stroll through your new neighborhood to reduce feelings of loneliness and homesickness. While times have changed, you can still have enjoy friendly conversations from a safe distance. You can also try practicing mindfulness as you walk. To do this, you can gently bring your focus back to your surroundings and the present moment if you find your thoughts slipping back to home and all that you miss there. This type of walking meditation takes practice, but it can definitely help!
Travel with loved ones
Whether you travel with a fellow travel nurse, bring your family along, or adopt a pet along the way, traveling with your loved ones is one of the best ways to reduce homesickness.
Pack sentimentally
We all have items that remind us of home and bring back wonderful memories. When packing for your next travel nursing assignment, remember to bring along photos of loved ones, scrapbooks, and any other items that hold sentimental value for you. Here are a few more ideas to inspire you:
- A mug or glass from a fun vacation
- A plant from home will lend a sense of the familiar and give you something to care for.
- Throw pillows
- Blankets or afghans
- Books or magazines
- Artwork
- Scented candles, particularly scents that remind you of home
Do something new
Crossing something off of your bucket list will give you something fun and exciting to look forward to and take your mind off feelings of homesickness. Whether your goal is to start a small garden or jump out of an airplane, a new hobby or experience may be just what you need.
Invite visitors
You don’t always have to be the visitor! Depending upon where you are assigned, family and friends may be asking to come and visit you. If not, invite them. Chances are your close friends and family will jump at the chance to see you and explore a new location.
Use technology
Last but certainly not least, take advantage of all that technology has to offer in terms of keeping in touch with loved ones. You can FaceTime or Zoom with family, text friends, or use your phone as a phone and call someone.
Social media provides a great way to share your adventures with family and friends anywhere in the world. Whether you post pictures on Facebook or Instagram or upload videos to the file sharing service of your choice, you’re really only limited by your imagination!
