Last Updated on March 20, 2024 by Saskia Friedrich
Moving away from family isn’t easy! It’s already hard to move away by yourself, but it’s even harder to move away from family when you have children of your own.
Are you pregnant or have recently had a baby and are thinking of moving away from your family? Maybe your children are already older. Or you might be moving alone or with your partner.
Moving away from family can have multiple reasons: job change, love, or the need to get to know a different part of the world.
While it is exciting to start a new life somewhere else, leaving your family and the place you grew up in is also terrifying. You leave your routines and comfort zone.
You and your children would miss out on a lot of quality time and experiences with your loved ones. Birthday parties, weddings, baby showers, and other celebrations.
Having moved from Germany to Australia for love myself, I know how nerve-wracking it is to decide to leave and to see it through.
Moving away from family can make you feel sad, anxious, and guilty. Those feelings come and go in waves, and don’t stay forever, when but when they hit you, it’s pretty full-on.
I will share some tips with you on how to cope with moving and living away from your family and your home. I hope they will make it easier for you to stay positive and make you feel better about moving to a different place.
How to Cope with Moving & Living Away from Family
- Stay in touch with your family regularly
- Show your family that they are important to you
- Book a trip back home
- Enjoy your new life
- Find like-minded friends
- Take it easy
- Nothing has to be forever
- Don’t feel guilty about moving away from family
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1. Stay in Touch with Your Family Regularly
This is what matters most when moving away from family.
You need to talk to your family regularly, otherwise, you will lose touch. You were used to having your family close by and seeing them all the time, but now you need to put in an effort to stay in contact.
It isn’t always easy to find the right time and mood to contact your family because of the time difference and your and your family’s schedule, but you’ll have to make it work.
How To Stay in Touch When Moving Away from Family
Phone & Video Calls
Phone calls and video calls are the best options to get to talk and see your family. You can show them around your new place while being on the phone, so they get to know your new home and your routines.
It’s much easier to talk about your daily life, your struggles, and your happy moments when you’re on the phone. If you only write text messages to your family, there isn’t enough room to know what is going on in someone’s life.
Note: It gets a bit overwhelming having to talk to everyone regularly (especially if you have a big family) but you should try to remember what you’ve spoken about on your last call and follow up on it.
That way you keep engaged with your family and it shows them that you’re interested in what’s going on in their lives.
If it’s hard for you to remember, take a few notes after every phone call.
Voice Messages
When life gets busy and you don’t have the time for a phone call, it’s nice to send your family a little update via a voice message.
Hearing a voice is more personal and you get to talk more in detail about something.
Text Messages
A short text message in between phone calls will make you feel like your family is just around the corner. You can send them photos of what you’re up to and let them know that you’re thinking of them.
E-Mails
You might prefer to send e-mails to some of your relatives. E-Mails are a good way to get into more detail of what your life is like and you might get a long response back.
Letters
Depending on where you live and how long the mail takes, letters are a nice way of communicating with each other. They are very personal and show that you’ve put in the effort.
2. Show Your Family That They Are Important to You
Not only is it important to stay in touch with each other when moving away from family, but you also want to show them that they are important to you (and your children).
You could do things like:
- Sending flowers
- Getting your kids to do some arts & crafts and sending it to them
- Preparing a family video for their birthday’s
- Sending them little gifts
- Making a photo album
When my granddad went to the hospital, I felt so guilty that I couldn’t be with him. I sent him some flowers and a card to show him that I think of him, and he was very happy when he received them.
When I was talking to my grandma, she said how these little things made him feel better.
What seems small to you, could mean the world to someone else at a certain moment. A little gesture goes a long way.
3. Book a Trip Back Home
The best thing to do to overcome the feeling of being homesick is to book a trip back home as soon as you have moved away from your family.
Even if the trip is far in the future, it’s a good feeling to know that you will return home at some point.
I remember that my grandparents were so sad when I left home. They probably thought they wouldn’t see me for years. When I told them that I had booked a trip back home, they were very excited.
You can also book a holiday and plan to meet your family halfway. It will be nice to explore a new place together rather than visiting and just sitting in your family’s living room all day.
4. Enjoy Your New Life
If you don’t like your new life, the feeling of moving away from your family will give you a hard time.
Embrace your new life, be open-minded and see what it has to give to you. Moving to a different place is exciting, you discover beautiful spots, and get to know another culture.
Make the most out of it, be curious and positive. Living in a different place of the world is a great opportunity for you and your children.
This is not to say that you have to be happy every day and all day long. There will be a lot of days when you feel sad and depressed, and that’s completely normal. We all go through it. Whether we live close to family or not.
5. Find Like-Minded Friends
Friends are the family we choose.
This is so right. When you live away from your family, it’s important that you have friends who are in a similar situation as yourself.
Go through your local expat groups on Facebook and join some meetups they organize. You will see that you’re not the only one going through the same experience.
Even though they can’t replace your family, catch-ups with like-minded friends take away the loneliness and they understand exactly how you feel.
6. Take It Easy
Moving away from family brings so many mixed emotions with it, so give yourself time to adjust to your new situation.
Take every day as it comes and don’t rush yourself into having to love your new life straight away.
Some things are bad back at home, some things are bad in your new location. Likewise, some things are great back home, but there are also great things where you live now.
You should also put up your favorite pictures of your family and friends. That way you look at them every day and find comfort in being surrounded by their lovely faces.
Making your new home comfortable and nice will give you the feeling of living a good life and will make you happy.
7. Nothing Has to be Forever
Who says that moving away from family is the end of being with them?
Just because you have moved, doesn’t mean, that you will never go back home again. One day you and your children will be reunited with your family.
Nothing has to be forever and that’s a reassuring feeling.
8. Don’t Feel Guilty About Moving Away from Family
I believe, this is one of the biggest emotions we feel when moving away from family: guilt!
There is excitement, fear, sadness, but most of all, we feel like we’re doing something wrong. How can we just go and leave our family and friends? Stop our parents from seeing their grandchild?
How selfish.
NO! Don’t even let the guilt cross your mind. I know you do it anyway but try to let go of it.
Especially, if you’re the first person in your family to move to a place further away, they can give you a hard time. You feel like you have to be there for your family, make them happy and do the right thing.
But you don’t. This is your life, and you can do whatever you want with it. If it feels right for you to leave your hometown, then it is the right decision.
FAQs to Moving Away from Family
Is It Wrong to Move Away from Family?
It isn’t wrong to move away from family. If it feels right for you to move away from family, then it’s the right decision. Moving away opens a lot of new doors and can mean a better life for you.
Is Moving Away from Family Selfish?
No, moving away from family isn’t selfish. It’s your life and you are free to go wherever you want to. You are allowed to move away from family, and no one should make you feel guilty about that.
Why Living Away from Family Is Good
Living away from family gives you time and space to do your own thing. You’re fully responsible for yourself and no one holds your hand. You don’t have to justify your actions to anyone, and you can stay away from family dramas.
Final Thoughts on Moving Away from Family
All the emotions you experience can sometimes make you forget why you are moving away from family.
There’s a good reason why you have decided to leave your family. There are pros and cons for every situation in life, whether you live in a certain place or another. Things aren’t perfect at home either!
Go easy on yourself and give yourself time to adjust.
How To Cope with Moving Away from Family
About The Author
Saskia is a mom, blogger, and freelance writer. She loves sharing tips on self-care, personal growth, and productivity & organization. Find out more about her or get in touch with her here.
