Tales from a Bruised Mind

Moving away from my home town was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do.

But I promise you this is not a sob story.

I’m a homebody kind of person. I love being around loved ones and spending quality time with my parents and brother. I’m extremely fortunate to have an amazing home life – not everyone can say that – but I’ll never take that for granted.

When the opportunity came up for my dream job in automotive journalism, the only thing holding me back to some degree was that I would have to move interstate to Sydney, from Brisbane.

I had always hoped I’d stay in Brisbane, but for my media-based industry, the work just wasn’t there.

It’s been over two years since I first packed up all my things and moved south. Here’s a few tips I have gained over time about moving to a new and occasionally daunting new home.

• Put yourself out there – this is something I didn’t do, and I suffered a fair bit because of it. I struggled to meet new friends and, a lot of the time, the friends I met weren’t terribly responsive at getting back to me. That sucked. But I am slowly working on it!
• Explore, explore, explore – I remember for my first six months or more, I would go exploring and driving everywhere that I could almost every weekend. With my job, I have been lucky to have lots of cars to drive, so I was able to get out of the house and see new, exciting places. This helped me get through some rough patches in my life.
• Continue your interests – work might try and get in the way, but make sure you do the things you love as often as you can. This will especially help to be a distraction for you, and could cure feelings of loneliness
• Regularly connect with your family back home – sometimes you might just be too busy at work, but try to make the time to touch base with family and friends. It will really make a difference.
• Look after yourself, especially if you’re living alone – sometimes this can fall to the wayside. If you’re feeling lonely or a little depressed, self-care can go out the window. Try to look after yourself as best you can, rather than letting things pile up like dirty laundry or dishes!

A little bit on homesickness

Homesickness is a completely separate beast, and something I have struggled deeply with.

Homesickness really sucks, and it affects a lot of people. It’s extremely common.

But it will improve with time. Like a lot of things, you just need to eat a big spoonful of patience.

Try to focus on other things, such as work or a hobby, and you will see this feeling start to disappear.

The fact is that if you’re mind is busy and occupied with work, for instance, you’re not spending time thinking about being at home, or your family, every single second of the day.

The first few months in Sydney for me were the hardest of all. I didn’t know many people and I lived alone. But work pulled me through by offering me useful distractions. Plus, I got to talk about and write about cars every day, so I was happy.

Just always remember to keep the conversations flowing with your family and friends back home. They are there for you, every step of the way.

Love,

Zak