Homesickness is the feeling of emotional distress you experience when you are away from home and in a new and unfamiliar environment. It affects those who have moved both temporarily and permanently, such as students, migrants, refugees, and those in the military.
What Causes Homesickness?
Many people feel homesick when they are away from home, but some people tend to feel more homesick than others. These are some of the causes of homesickness –
- Disruption of lifestyle
- Cultural distance
- Difficulty adapting
- Feelings of not belonging
What are the effects of homesickness?
- Depression. Also known as major depressive disorder, depression is an illness that involves a constant feeling of sadness and loss of interest or pleasure. Doctors say that homesickness can have symptoms similar to that of depression, such as frequent crying, sleeping problems, difficulty concentrating, and withdrawal from society. In some cases, homesickness can even turn into depression itself.
- Grief. While migrant workers and other foreigners may have moved away from home for a better job or better pay, they may feel grief for the loss of the comforts of their home and for the place they felt that they belonged to.
- Productivity. The overwhelming feeling of being in a new environment and away from the familiar can lead to performance issues at work and school. Intense homesickness feelings can also result in difficulty focusing on topics that are not related to home.
How to Deal with Homesickness
- Know that it is normal to feel upset when you are away from home.
- Attend events or take classes to teach you how to deal with homesickness.
- Be active, start a new hobby, or make plans with friends to distract yourself.
- Make new friends and build new meaningful connections.
- Keep in touch with your family and old friends to avoid feeling sad about leaving.
- Keep a gratitude journal to journal your emotions.
- Find a new favorite place that you associate with home.
In conclusion, homesickness is a relatively common phenomena between many different types of people, but it can have severe effects on your mental health, which in turn can affect many aspects of your life. However, there are a couple of easy ways to deal with feelings of homesickness, preventing them from severely impacting your mental health.