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A Closer Look to Alienation – Benefits of Homesickness Revealed
Apr 30, 2014
Feeling isolated and depressed. Mind’s traveling back home. Anxious with work performance and uneasy with the new environment. All these are symptoms of homesickness. OFWs work far away from home to earn a promising financial remuneration yet, no one can deny the downsides of separation anxiety.
But did you know that homesickness is not bad at all? It also has its good side.
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Homesickness is an opportunity for our personal growth in order to adapt to the new surroundings. Being alone gives you time to discover new things about yourself and become a stronger person.
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It compels us to develop new skills and make new friends.
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Successfully dealing with homesickness widens our range of comfort levels and thus increases our confidence and self-esteem.
How to deal with it?
Admit it. Face the fact that you are homesick. Accept that you feel somewhat disoriented and lost but rest assured that you will eventually overcome these feelings.
Enjoy your time alone and indulge yourself. Whether or not you have friends around, you can still do pleasurable ways you enjoy doing. Make a list of things you’d really like to dolike:
- Enrolling to physical activities like zumba class, muay thai, and other sports.
- Enrolling to creative workshops like photography, music lessons, etc.
Get out of the house and explore your new environment. Take a leisure walk. Enjoy the sights, savor new delicacies. Don’t waste your time sulking and crying in a corner.
Make sure you eat well and sleep well. Maintain your health with sensible eating. Don’t brood with loneliness and then skip meals. You could get sick. In the same way, try to get enough sleep so you will feel refreshed and invigorated.
Talk to someone. Channel your feelings of isolation into someone you're comfortable sharing with.
Talk to your loved ones from home. This is the best remedy to lessen homesickness. You'll feel better after hearing soothing words or funny jokes from the people you love the most.
