I can definitely relate.

Since the start of the pandemic, I've had a lot of time to ruminate. I find myself missing the social connections I had in my home country (before emigrating to the US). I miss the big family get-togethers, and the feeling of being accepted and loved by a big clan of people.

Unfortunately, that past is gone forever. I haven't seen those people in decades. Many of them are dead or have scattered to the winds.

When you're unhappy, it's natural to feel nostalgic. To some extent, though, it's a trap. The first 20 years or so of life are magical, in a way that later experiences can't ever replicate. You probably won't experience that intensity or freshness ever again.

It seems to me that the key to a good life is being able to continuously reinvent yourself. You have to stay adaptive and find meaningful experiences for yourself.