home-sick-ness [hohm-sik-ness]
(.n) cognitive distress or impairment caused by actual or perceived separation from home and attachment objects such as parents.
In plain English, it is a longing for home, and while we associate it with kids going off to summer camp or boarding school, its affects adults as much as kids.
What triggers homesickness?
- People with familiar voices or accents
- Big events back home, holidays, particularly those normally spent with family
- A smell, a taste, even a color that brings memories of home
Top 5 Known Cures for Homesickness
Stay in with home
Share positive stories with them about your experiences away--but don't overdo it, seeing familiar faces on Skype or hearing their voice, or reading Facebook posts about your old town or school, can actually make homesickness even worse.
Don't be alone
Leave your hotel room, be with other people. For people who are away for the long term, build support networks.
Embrace culture
Throw yourself into studying and embracing the new culture you are in.
Find familiarity
Alternatively, find little pockets of your own culture wherever you are: food, shops, even expat meet-up groups can help you cope, or remember that things back home aren't as wonderful as you make them out to be.
Go home!
If it gets that bad, why make yourself suffer?
