Anxiety about being away from home: what is Homesickness?

Being in a new place, where many kilometers separate what you consider your true home, can be very hard.. Such is the nostalgia that this situation produces, that there is an expression in English that equates it to a disease: homesickness. It refers to the feeling of missing our home, our family, our friends, our routine... In short, the life that we had led with normal. Obviously, this feeling appears when changing places and moving to another country or another city for a while.

Although it is something harmful for the individual, we want to emphasize that the nostalgia for being away from the Home is a natural part of development, and almost everyone feels it at some point in life. life. In fact, it is a problem that affects thousands of people every year and if it is not treated properly, it can cause various ailments such as anguish, stress, depression or anxiety. According to experts in the field, in extreme cases, homesickness can turn into panic attacks, leading to social exclusion, lack of sleep, nightmares and concentration problems.

It is a feeling that can last for weeks, months or even years. It does not disappear within a few days of arriving as many people think. Fortunately, there are strategies that can be used to cope with these negative emotions that flourish when we see ourselves so far from what is known and usual.. Indeed, excluding a small percentage of individuals who show severe signs of homesickness for being away from home, most people are able to get over it and end up enjoying the experience by maximum. In today's article, we will analyze the symptoms that appear when experiencing homesickness and based on opinions From experts, we will present some useful tips to learn how to manage memories of home and attachment objects.

• We recommend you read: "Anxiety in Modern Times: Why Are We Feeling More and More Anxious?"

symptoms of home sickness

As we mentioned before, leaving your home and landing in a completely new place generates a physical and emotional impact that causes a series of symptoms. Although it has been a voluntary change, it is normal to feel this way, realize that it is never easy to make the difficult decision to leave everything known to explore the unknown.

After all, having fears, insecurities or ruminative thoughts about how to adapt to the new place are completely normal. The problem comes when homesickness interferes with your functionality, quality of life, and comprehensive well-being.. Following the opinion of psychology experts, we present a list of possible symptoms or thoughts that may arise when moving to a new city or country:

• Nostalgia for the food and culture of the place of origin
• Want to flee the place to return home
• Feelings of sadness that increase over time from missing family and friends
• Idealize home.
• Loss of concentration.
• Frequent crying spells.
• Difficulties eating and sleeping.
• Withdrawal from social life.
• Inability to get into a comfortable routine.
• Sadness.
• Loneliness.
• Humor changes.
• Anger.
• Anxiety.
• Lack of energy and motivation.
• Headache.
• Nausea.
• Dizziness.
• Muscle tension.

say goodbye to homesickness

As you have seen, the thoughts and symptoms of longing can be very varied and annoying. If you have felt identified, we want to help you say goodbye to homesickness once and for all. Below, we list some tips or recommendations to learn how to deal with these emotions in the best possible way:

1. Keep in touch with yours

Feeling alone when in a new place is something normal and common. Fortunately, Nowadays, thanks to new technologies, we are just a message or a call away from our loved ones.. Take advantage of this advance and keep in touch regularly with your family and friends. Even if you have to redo your life for a while in another city or country, it doesn't mean that you don't need to feel supported by the usual ones. Seeing the face of a person close to you, receiving a message from your friend or making a long call with a family member makes many of the bad feelings you experience disappear.

2. keep busy

It is convenient to clear your mind and one of the best ways is to keep it busy with activities and a routine. For example, it is advisable to participate in the activities that take place in your new destination. By word of mouth or even through applications, you can find out about the activities that take place in your neighborhood or city. It's a good way to create a routine while exploring and familiarizing yourself with the new site. Go ahead and delve into one of them. At the end of the day, the important thing is to create a routine that allows you to discover new places, friends, and takes you away from thoughts of nostalgia.

3. Cut with social media

It is positive to avoid, as far as possible, the publications of people from your place of origin. Constantly looking at the activities and plans that your friends or family make does not help you focus on your new life. You need to partly disconnect from your old habits because otherwise you will end up with your head in your old country and your body in the new one.. This is unsustainable and can seriously affect your mental health.

4. Always positive

Thinking and having a positive attitude is paramount to combating the negative feelings that overwhelm homesickness. By trying to make a smile and see life in another color, it is much easier to relate to others people, integrate into new activities and, in short, join the lifestyle of the new place. Don't allow sadness and discomfort to control your mind.

Remember that there are many people who have been through the same situation as you and even at this moment, many people feel exactly the same things. Also, keep in mind that it is a temporary phase and therefore, everything passes. Of course, it will pass faster if you maintain a positive attitude in the face of adversity. Although it is difficult to imagine, surely from this experience you will get new and useful learning.