You may notice:
• Feeling disconnected even when you’re busy
• Missing home, food, festivals or familiar faces
• Weekends feeling long and empty
• Scrolling through photos of friends and family back home
• Feeling like you don’t fully belong in either place
If this feels familiar, here’s something important to know:
Loneliness after a move is common, especially when you’re far from home.
It doesn’t mean you made the wrong decision. It means your need for connection is real.
Let’s build some connection back in.
The Connection Menu
What this helps with
• Isolation and empty evenings
• Feeling too tired to reach out
• Losing touch with people back home
Why this works
When we’re lonely, reaching out feels harder, so we do it less, and the loneliness grows. Planning small, easy connections in advance breaks that cycle.
How to do it
1. Write a short list of connections in three sizes: Small (5 minutes): a voice note to a friend, a message in the family group. Medium (30 minutes): a video call home, coffee with a colleague. Big (a few hours): a community event, a festival celebration, a weekend with friends.
2. Aim for one small connection a day, one medium a week, and one big each month.
3. Fix your calls home at a set time that suits both time zones, so they happen without planning each time.
The Weekly Anchor
What this helps with
• Weekends that feel long or aimless
• Missing home and familiar routines
• Feeling unsettled in a new place
Why this works
Routines that connect to home give your week a sense of familiarity and something to look forward to.
How to do it: choose one weekly ritual that feels like home, for example
• Cook a dish you grew up eating
• Listen to music from home while you clean or walk
• Visit an Indian store, temple, gurdwara or cultural centre
• Watch a film in your language with friends
Keep it on the same day each week, so it becomes something you can count on.
Remember This
You can belong to two places at once.
Building a life somewhere new takes time, and small connections add up.
A Gentle Reminder
If loneliness has turned into low mood, poor sleep or withdrawing from people for weeks, please reach out. Talking to someone who understands both cultures can make a real difference.