When it comes to home, it’s true what they say. There is just no place like it. No matter where you go or how hard you try, that feeling of security, love, and support you seek anywhere else can never match up to the one place you call home. If one is away from this safe haven for too long, they can experience some “withdrawal.” The feeling of sadness, depression, and anxiety due to the deep longing for home or family while away for an extended period of time can be defined as “Homesickness.” This phenomenon of emotions can take a toll on an individual’s body mentally, emotional, and physically. It may not seem like a detrimental concept and for some it may not be. However, it is definitely something that should not be ignored.
Here are four warning signs that you may be homesick:
1. Constant Feeling of Loneliness
The extent of this warning sign is broad, and it is also the hardest to realize actually exist. No matter the event, scenario, or circumstance, the overall ambience of any situation also seems bleak. You can be in a room full of people and somehow still feel alone. The reality is you’re not alone, you’re just surrounded by the “wrong” people. The people you desire to have around are so far out of reach that you can’t help but feel lonely.
2. Anxiety
Imagine how it feels to be constantly worried, apprehensive, anxious, and nervous while simultaneously trying to act as if everything is normal. You’re like this because you think you have to be and the worst part is you don’t know why. That’s exactly how this warning sign can make you feel. The complexity of this mental state makes the warning sign all the more distressing. You constantly feel on edge and like the complications of your world will never go away. It’s not the fact that you can’t relax, it’s the fact that you don’t know how.
3. Physical Sickness
While homesickness is generally associated with overwhelming emotions, believe it or not, homesickness can lead to physical problems as well. The feeling of fatigue, nausea, difficulty sleeping, or headaches can all be linked to the mere fact that the individual is homesick. Your body no longer has time to focus on itself, instead your mind turns “home” into your main priority. So, you may experience a headache or vomiting or insomnia because your body has neglected itself. This can be explained by the fact that homesickness can be exhausting. It’s tiring to be upset all the time no matter how much you don’t want to be.
4. Lack of Motivation
When experiencing homesickness, one may lose the want or desire to do anything at all. This is justified by the fact that the individual feels as if they have nothing to motivate them or to be motivated about. It’s not that you don’t want to do anything, you just feel like there is no need to.
When experiencing any of these four desolate symptoms, it’s vital that you first recognize the cause of it all. Then you can try to focus on the things that make it so that home doesn’t seem so far. It’s hard, but it’s possible to find those people and the place that can be your home away from home. What I’ve realized is that the crazy reality about all this is that when someone is feeling “homesick,” it’s actually not “home” they desire. It’s the individuals we consider our support system we long for. Family. And that’s okay. It’s okay to be homesick and it’s okay to miss your family, but it’s not okay to let this mindset consume you. So go home every now and then, and call your loved ones just to listen to their voices. Try to keep in touch with those who have the ability to keep you level-headed. It will make you feel better.