Homesickness is a feeling that is often misunderstood and minimized. In reality, there is a lot more than just missing your home. Homesickness reflects a malaise when a person is away from home. This can happen for a variety of reasons, whether you are stressed out in your current location or regret the loss of your home routine. Regardless of the underlying reasons, homesickness can be a lot more serious than people imagine.
You’ve probably heard the saying that it takes a person around 2 years to settle in a new place. Everyone is different. While some of us feel at home anywhere they are, others will always long for the place they left behind. Understanding the triggers and symptoms of homesickness can help you address the issue before it goes out of hand.
Symptoms of homesickness
In many ways, homesickness can bring both physical and mental symptoms, which can be easy to overlook. By definition, being homesick means a sense of sadness and loneliness, accompanied by a longing for the familiarity of a home and a social circle. You don’t feel like you belong within the local community.
Often, homesickness also triggers anxiety, as you are out of your comfort zone and can feel overwhelmed. This can also affect your sleep quality, leading to insomnia, your motivation, and your overall well-being.
Physically, psychosomatic symptoms such as headaches, stomachaches, and fatigue are prone to appear.
The causes of homesickness
Being away from home is, of course, the primary cause for feeling homesick. This can be a temporary situation, such as traveling for work, or a permanent decision, such as moving abroad with your family. Regardless of its duration, not being at home breaks the comfort of the routine. Being used to a certain way of life and having to adjust can make people feel disoriented and homesick.
Additionally, cultural differences can make it tough to integrate and make new friends. This only makes the pain of losing home friends sharper.
How do people cope?
Not everyone reacts in the same way. For some, the excitement of new experiences and meeting new people can be a fantastic remedy against homesickness. While they may initially feel lost and lonely, they rapidly give in to the joy of doing something outside the home routine. Typically, this personality type describes living abroad as an adventure or even a sense of freedom. More often than not, they felt constrained at home by the expectations of their relatives and friends, and therefore leaving home is a blessing more than a curse for them.
For others, being away from the people who love them is a curse. Maintaining a connection with friends and family back home can help them retain their roots. They often need to create a new routine to find their footing again. However, in extreme cases, the anxiety can be so overwhelming that mental health treatment is necessary to overcome homesickness. This can affect personality types who need a large social circle and deep connections with their loved ones to thrive.
Moving away from home can be a fantastic opportunity for growth if you are the right person for it. However, when your comfort and confidence rely on your home routine and social circles, homesickness can settle in. Don’t brush it off by pretending it is nothing. Homesickness can lead to long-lasting mental health issues such as anxiety or depressive disorders.
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