Homesickness is a feeling of discomfort, pain, stress, or anxiety caused by separation from people and places you know and love. Homesickness is a natural response to displacement commonly experienced by individuals who travel away from home, regardless of the distance. Travelers often feel homesick midway through their journey, even though they choose to travel to those places.
There’s no predictable duration for homesick feelings. For some people, it might be just a few days. For others, it could be weeks or even longer. It’s all about how quickly you adapt to your environment.
According to research conducted by the University of Northern Colorado, there are five stages of homesickness: the honeymoon stage, culture shock stage, initial adjustment stage, mental isolation stage, and acceptance stage.
Honeymoon stage: the initial excitement, a response to the newness of the environment.
Culture Shock Stage: a measure of cultural distance. We Navigate complex interpersonal dynamics between the known and unknown, expected and unexpected.
Initial Adjustment Stage: One begins to adapt, typically the most challenging stage as novelty items become more commonplace, and many initially confusing differences make sense.
Mental Isolation Stage: the individual has worked out how to operate in the new cultural environment, interacts with people, and makes friends satisfactorily.
Acceptance Stage: one accepts the differences in the environment with a sense of gratitude. During this stage, the traveler recognizes the changes brought to one’s understanding of others.
Five things you should do if you’re feeling homesick
Keep a hopeful outlook.
Stay in touch.
Establish a routine.
Put yourself out there (even if it’s demanding)
Connect with resources.
Write a blog post.
Homesick forever
It’s hard to be at home
in two different places
at once
To love both
to miss both
to cherish both
To commit to one
but long for the other
And not truly belong
in either place
S.
Travel in Life 