Homesickness can feel different to different people. Some people may have frequent feelings of sadness and loneliness. Some people may cry often. Others may find it hard to focus and work.
Loneliness, nausea, anger, and nervousness are few of the most common symptoms of homesickness. In fact, when one falls homesick, they could start missing weird things and start crying. Yes, it wouldn't be strange to start crying if you see there are no hangers available in the cupboard, strange but true.
Researchers have found that homesickness can last anywhere from three weeks to more than a year. In one study, 94% of students reported experiencing homesickness at some point during their first 10 weeks of college. There's no quick fix to homesickness — it takes time and patience.
A sudden change in environment can cause homesickness in a wide variety of people. Because children's identities and sense of security are intimately tied to family and home, however, they are especially prone to homesickness.
“Fernweh” is a German word for “farsickness,” the opposite of homesickness. Scotland received high scores in surveys where people were asked to name the places for which they felt fernweh. You know when you've been away too long.
Doctors say that homesickness can have symptoms that are similar to depression, such as frequent crying, sleeping problems, difficulty concentrating, and withdrawal from society. In some cases, homesickness can even turn into depression itself. Grief.
“These feelings of being homesick can start early and last throughout adulthood,” Dr. Claudia Luiz, PsyD, a psychoanalyst, tells Romper. Babies can start to show signs of separation anxiety at nine months, she explains, but there is no one specific age in which homesickness starts… or stops.
Homesickness is an emotional state of mind, where the affected person experiences intense feelings of longing due to separation from home environment and loved ones. The feelings that are most identified with homesickness are nostalgia, grief, depression, anxiety, sadness, and withdrawal.
Help Your Friend Get in a Positive Mindset
Having positive conversations with someone back home can be very uplifting. It can help them trade their negative thoughts with positive ones. Instead of dwelling on what may be going wrong, talk about steps that can be taken to turn the situation around.
Studies have shown homesickness to last between 3 weeks to 1 year and 4 months. The length of time and intensity of homesickness is heavily influenced by a number of factors: personality, culture, duration of time from home, frequency of visits or contact with home, and reason for leaving.
It's totally normal to feel homesick. You are adjusting to a new place and a new culture. But, if you ignore those feelings, they may bottle up and make you feel worse.
Homesickness – or separation anxiety – is painful for all concerned when it happens but it seems to be a vital part of growing up – and developing self-reliance and independence.
“If you are sad and missing a parent, that likely means that you love them and have a great relationship with them. Feel free to observe all aspects of the emotion and why it is coming up.
Many kids are not used to sleeping in a strange environment – away from their family, usual routine, nightlight and their own bed – and it's normal to feel homesick and uncomfortable. Learning to enjoy time away from home and appreciate the comfort of your family is an important skill for all kids.
Being homesick is an emotional response when you are separated from things that are familiar to you. Humans have experienced homesickness for as long as we have been around. It is caused by our attachment to things we love and that make us feel comfortable.
Tell children that homesickness is normal, but that they can use strategies like writing letters home, sharing their feelings with other people, and thinking about all the good things that camp or school is giving them, to help ease their worry.
Fernweh, or farsickness, is also a suffering, but is less clear cut and rectifiable. It is a consuming longing to be somewhere you've never been; an aching to be in a distant and unknown land, an ambiguous yearning for anything, anywhere else, as anyone else.
Feeling homesick can affect you physically and emotionally. Symptoms mimic other mental health disorders like depression and anxiety, as well as physical conditions. While people may respond to homesickness differently, there are some common reactions.
When I am home and my brain is screaming “I want to go home,” it comes from a place of anxiety and depression. I want to go “home” which is a place (within myself) of comfort and peace. Sometimes it comes when I feel like I don't belong anywhere or when I am nervous about something.
If you are an introvert, don't worry, there are ways to socialize without going to a giant party, like joining a small study group, having a picnic among friends, and visiting museums — the main idea is to find fun pastimes between studying and classes so that you can overcome the loneliness and homesickness.