Hi and welcome

your host, Ellen Hendrickson.

And every week I'll help you meet life challenges with evidence-based research, a sympathetic ear, and zero judgment.

This week, what do college students, deployed soldiers, recent immigrants, expats, professionals

in a new city, refugees, and kids at summer camp have in common by request from Michael Newley of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

This week we offer nine tips to battle homesickness.

And homesickness strikes almost everyone at some point in life.

And even if you're at Camp Winnipesaki with Jimmy Fallon and Justin Timberlake,

you may still feel a longing to click your heels together and be transported to that place like no other.

Now, transient nostalgia-like homesickness that doesn't get in your way is common and

nothing to worry about. Time will cure all your

yearings. On the other hand you may have a problem if you cross one of three lines.

So first you may feel particularly lousy, specifically depressed or anxious. Second, you may find yourself with drawing. For instance, you'd rather stay in and binge watch madmen on a beautiful Saturday, but explore the market in your

new Italian piazza.

Third, you might have difficulty focusing on tasks that don't remind you of home. For instance, all your conversations with potential

new friends consist of comparing your new city to your old city, or you're not sampling new

cuisine because you're busy searching out McDonald's and you don't even like

McDonald's. And homesickness isn't just for college freshmen, study abroad or

summer camp in our increasingly mobile society relocation whether for school or work, can be particularly tough.

In fact, a 2013 meta-analysis in the prestigious journal Psychological Bulletin re-analyzed 277 studies and found that relocation, unsurprisingly, breaks up your social network.

But the effect on the individual is that you're left without your role or reputation, which leaves you feeling overwhelmed, lost, or adrift.

You want to be where you can find security, recognition, and love, which are all qualities associated with home.

...