Feeling homesick? Why is that?

Homesickness is a non-tangible sense of emotion which can be felt when a person is away from home, family, friends or just a place where they are familiar and comfortable with. Homesickness strikes when we start to feel lonely and isolated when in a new environment be it for travel, work, or studies abroad or far away from home. These feelings grow stronger if we are in a country that has a culture and language that is completely alien to us. So what can we do to decrease homesickness?

1. Identify the reasons that causes homesickness

Homesickness isn't just loneliness or sadness alone as it has more than one side-effects. When homesickness occurs, try to grasp onto the triggers that causes one to feel lonely, slightly depressed, pick up on these and talk to someone you trust and address that homesickness is happening and you're feeling down. Understand oneself and when homesickness, try to reminding yourself of why it's happening. This may be linked to comfort, familiarity, and positivity back at home.

2. Recognize the symptoms of homesickness

Anxiety, nostalgia, depression, and abnormal behaviours are just a few of the more major effects of homesickness. When you feel at loss of control about your surroundings, or events that are occurring around you, this may be another symptom of homesickness. Recognize what are the reactions we have when we feel homesick and hold ourselves from out-lashing at others. This doesn't mean to bottle our feelings but to find balance within and come to terms that we are in a new environment.

3. Face the problem

Once the problem is identified and we know that we are homesick, it is best to solve the problem at the roots instead of avoiding it. Facing the problem head on will help ease the pain sooner. If a person is constantly feeling nostalgic of their home, it may be good to find what is great about the current new environment and try to be appreciative of it. Doing so will help adaptability by not delaying or putting the emotions aside.

4. Do things that can similar to regular routine

By keeping familiar things around or changing your routine to be slightly resembling of the regular routine back home is a great way to adapt an cure homesickness. The items that scream of home will help to comfort us in times of extreme sadness and loneliness, it links us to our past home. This has a calming effect as we see objects that are present in the previous house in the new house and allows us to feel slightly more at home.

5. Immerse into local culture

In a new environment, it is important to understand the local culture to blend in and feel at home. By making a list of what to explore, discover and encounter in our new environment will allow one to understand more about the local culture and adapt to it. Going outside and forming connections will also help in being a part of the culture. Try something new and slowly move out of our comfort zone and bit by bit, we'll start to be comfortable of our new environment.

Coming to terms with homesickness may be tricky and the matter is highly subjective which differs for every individual. By identification and confrontation, it will definitely help to ease the feelings of homesickness. Of course, let's try to be appreciative of our new environment as well and find the beauty within. The grass may not always be greener on the other side but that is life. Accepting the flaws and appreciating the pros will help us get used to things quicker. Till next time, safe travels everyone!!