I’m fortunate to be in a position where most of my loved ones are close by but in the past, when I was in the military and far from home (to use a good example) and missing those that are closest to me, I used to do several things when I was lonely and homesick.
I remember looking at photographs of my loved ones, listening to music that reminded me of them, writing them letters, phoning them to hear their voices, spending time with friends and all of us talking about back home and our loved ones there and enjoying the good memories.
During the occasions that I was so down and out from missing everyone back home and the methods above didn’t work, I resorted to activities to keep my mind preoccupied such as reading, playing sports, watching movies, or whatever else I could find to fill the time.