If you’re not one, the life of a digital nomad might sound perfect to you. Freedom, travelling, sleeping in, working from any part of the world, not being trapped in an office… However, it also brings many challenges you have to face. Travelling all over the world and spending too little time in one place can feel make you feel free, but also lonely. Meeting new people all the time gives you an opportunity to explore other cultures and build new friendships, but it can also isolate you and prevent you from having a meaningful relationship with anyone.

Why are we telling you this? We don’t want you to give up on being a digital nomad. We’re telling you this because there’s a thing called digital nomad depression. It’s real and it happens more often than you expected. This is why it’s essential that you recognize it if it happens to you. If you want to get the best out of this life, you should work on maintaining your mental health on a daily basis.

#1 Give yourself time to adjust!

How do you feel when you return to your country after spending a couple of months travelling? Tired, sad, irritated, maybe even angry and apathetic and you’re not sure why. You don’t have energy. You don’t want to move unless you really need to. Well, it’s similar to jet lag. You can expect from yourself that you change various timezones and feel perfectly fine afterwards. Give yourself enough time to recover and re-adjust to your hometown, to people, weather, food… especially if it’s very different from the place you’ve just returned from.

#2 Visit your hometown as often as possible!

Even if you don’t think you need to see your family too often or sleep in your own bed, maybe you should try to spend at least one week a month in your city. See your friends, visit the places you loved as a child, spend a nice evening with your parents or siblings. It will make you feel you belong somewhere, and this is important no matter how much you love being a wanderer.

#3 Prepare yourself for potential stress!

There’s always excitement when you’re travelling, but when it becomes a routine, it can turn into something really stressful. Talk to your friends who travel a lot and ask them for tips. Try to prevent situations that could lead to unnecessary anxiety and ruin your travel. When it comes to finance-related stress, plan your trips carefully and learn about budgeting. Buy plane tickets a couple of months in advance and find out about all the ways to save money in different countries. It will come in handy if your salary depends on projects or you’re a freelancer.

#4 Ask for help!

If you think you’re struggling with digital nomad depression or your friends and family catch its symptoms in your behaviour, don’t hesitate and ask for help immediately. You can even look into remote therapy, such as www.exploringtherapy.com. Like every other illness, it’s more likely to be cured in an early stage. Don’t feel ashamed because it can happen to everyone. The sooner you recover from this, the sooner you can go back to enjoying your life as a digital nomad!