Social connections are for people. However, with all friendships and relationships we make, many emotions come along with it including the feeling of “missing”. The official definition from Google for the word missing is, “not present; absent or lost”. But why do we even feel the emotion of missing? When we miss someone, it means that we really care about them and value them. You can miss someone for many different reasons. Maybe, you miss someone who passed away, someone who was once a close friend, or simply someone who has moved away. I am an international student visiting from Frankfurt, Germany. I said good bye to my family, my friends and my dog. I wanted to come to Canada to experience new things and create new memories. Here I have found new friends and a wonderful second family. Despite all the good, there is still a huge part missing. Not having certain special people in your life can hurt or can even make you feel empty. It feels like a part of you is lost or stuck somewhere else. Sometimes it is a constant feeling (especially when the "wounds" are fresh) and sometimes the emotion comes in unexpected waves. It can be triggered by simple things like food, songs, smells, or other random things that reminds us of this person. It is not just a feeling or something in your head, it is also expressed physically. You can get headaches or stomach pains easily, or maybe you just feel exhausted. You can have sleep problems, and your thoughts keep you awake, or you do not have the energy or motivation to get up and experience the day without this person. Missing someone can also affect your appetite or your ability to concentrate. For me personally, it also feels like a huge weight on my shoulders and pressure on my heart. Furthermore, scientists proved that the resulting stress reduces the immune system functions which means you can get sick easier. It is okay to feel all this emotion, and it is not a bad thing at all. It shows how important this person is to you and that you want to have them in your life. This is actually a beautiful thing.
Even though, it is important to accept this feeling and not push it away, you should try not to get hung up on it. It does not mean you should not think about them, recall memories or talk to them, if that is even possible. However, it is important to not overthink or drown in memories because the goal is to feel better, and not to feel hurt or sad. You can try out new things, get distracted and meet new people. You can also write them a letter; tell them you miss them or meditate. I would recommend talking about this emotion with someone. Sharing feelings, helps me personally to take some weight off my shoulders. And most importantly: always remember this feeling of “missing” will not last forever! Laetitia
13 Comments
Gurleen
1/31/2024 01:51:52 pm
I can certainly relate to you. i moved here from india and i miss my fa,ily and friends and everything about the place
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alanna
1/31/2024 01:52:02 pm
I know that going away for even a week is hard so I cannot imagine how much you miss your family and friends. I think that the examples you gave on how to cope with these feelings were all really good and overall this was really well written!
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Mateo
1/31/2024 01:53:43 pm
Laetitia I totally agree with you, having moved here from Mexico it took me so long to get used to being away from people I care about so deeply. It is so important to keep in touch and tell people you miss them, and I love how you listed other ways of relieving the emotions that come with this!
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Nishan Dhaliwal
1/31/2024 01:54:30 pm
Thank you for sharing Letitia I really respect you for coming from your country to Canada for the year it takes alot of courage and bravery to do that. I can somewhat relate to his post as in grade 8 I moved here from white rock. I too felt similar emotions you described in your post.
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Taylor
1/31/2024 01:56:29 pm
Hi Laetitia! I really enjoyed reading your blog, missing someone or multiple people is definitely a huge struggle especially when you're so far away from them. I really relate to the way it can affect daily things, you put everything into perfect words that described it so well. Amazing blog!
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Merle
1/31/2024 01:56:37 pm
As an exchange student I can completely relate to the things you talked about. I think especially on certain events ( christmas, birthday...) it's even harder to deal with it but it"s also something good at the same time. Thanks for sharing.
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Gwen
1/31/2024 01:57:22 pm
I totally get it. Having half my family live on another continent has made it hard to not focus on the other half of myself that is missing. Talking to those people and seeing them though is really exciting and your ideas for how to work through this feeling instead of pushing it away, are really good.
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1/31/2024 01:59:50 pm
Laetitia, I totally understand that feeling when someone who you always used to be with is not with you all the time anymore because of moving or just long distance and sometimes this does come in waves were we just really miss someone unexpectedly. Thank you for sharing
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Em
1/31/2024 02:00:53 pm
I left home for over a month and lived in Spain. I was alone with my girlfriend and her family at the time and I tottally understand your ambivilance in your emotions. you can have so so so much fun and still feel like something or someone is missing. dont let it stop you though, before you know it you will blink and be back home.
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I can't even imagine what it's like for you. Going to a country completely alone that is so crazy and brave of you honestly. I can somewhat relate to when you say like missing someone. I've never had to move away from the people I love but I've had a lot of loved ones pass and honestly you are so right about the feeling of emptyness.
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Janvi
1/31/2024 02:04:45 pm
This is so relatable from all aspects. As I am in my grade 12 year applying to universities that are not close to home, I think about the comfort and the feeling of “missing”. Overall, I liked how you summed it up with the underlining that the feeling of “missing” doesn’t last forever.
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Brody
1/31/2024 02:06:26 pm
Thank you for sharing, I know i feel sick being away from my family for a few days let alone months at a time. I find the methods you listed to cope with missing people to be great ideas and the blog was overall well written, great job!
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Sunsia
1/31/2024 02:09:51 pm
Im also a international student so i completely relate to ur blog. I do have my parents with me in canada often so its not as bad for me but i agree, i do realize the emptiness from time to time.
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