It’s easy to be overwhelmed when you feel homesick, or when a part of you is missing something. This week on the Therapy Spot, let’s talk about those times when we feel like we don’t have a home.

It’s human to feel homeless at different times in our lives. Change is what usually causes this feeling, whether it’s fast or slow, by choice or not. Those slow changes can be especially hard to notice.

Whatever the cause, most of us have experienced the aching feeling of not having a true home. I’m no stranger to this sensation. At one point in my life, I made so many changes that I replaced everything familiar with the unfamiliar. I recognized my face, but that was about it. At this point, I didn’t even feel like myself, and I certainly didn’t feel like I had a home. I call it “The Missing Place.” You might be in this place if you’ve found yourself saying:

• “Lately, I don’t feel at home.”
• “I don’t know where my home is.”
• “Maybe I don’t have a home.”

These words trigger a reaction in us: a deep, emotional pain. Just like we tend to withdraw when we feel depressed or upset, we might want to run away from that feeling. I encourage you to do the opposite, and turn towards the homesick feeling. You may not have a pair of ruby slippers, but you always have a path inward.

Home, of course, is more than a physical location. Nobody can tell you what or where your home is. Just like a real home, your sense of home needs updating and redecorating from time to time.

Join me and focus on befriending the part of yourself that feels missing. Let’s connect with that lonely part! Turning towards yourself and meeting yourself in this place can help you find your home.

Image Credit

“Emily’s Ruby Slippers” by Flickr user Jim, the Photographer is licensed under CC BY 2.0.