Homesickness (or in some cases, Nostalgia. The term nostalgia describes a longing for the past often in idealized form ), is the distress or impairment caused by an actual or anticipated separation from the specific home environment or attachment objects. A home is a place of Residence or Refuge. It is usually a place where an individual or a family can rest in and be able to store Personal property. The social environment (context, also known as the Milieu, is the identical or similar Social positions and Social roles as a whole that influence the individuals Feelings of longing are often accompanied by anxiety and depression. These symptoms may range from mild to severe. Homesickness frequently occurs when one travels and may be exacerbated by unfamiliar environments or foreign cultural contexts. Travel is the change in location of people on a trip through the means of Transport from one location to another Homesickness is especially common in youth. Youth is the period from infancy or childhood to maturity Usage Around the world the terms "youth" " Adolescent " "teenager" and Young people may experience a sense of dread, helplessness, or separation anxiety on their first day of school, summer camp, or on a protracted summer vacation away from parents. Separation anxiety is a psychological condition in which an individual has excessive Anxiety regarding separation from home or from people to whom the individual has Summer camp is a supervised Program for Children and/or Teenagers conducted (usually during the Summer Months in some countries Summer vacation (also called summer holidays or summer break) is a vacation in the Summertime between School years in which students Many first-year students at boarding schools or universities also experience homesickness. A boarding school is a School where some or all pupils not only study but also live during term time with their fellow students and possibly teachers A university is an institution of Higher education and Research, which grants Academic degrees in a variety of subjects
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Symptoms
Symptoms in homesickness may be emotional, cognitive, or physical. In extreme cases, physical health problems accompany the hallmark symptom of homesickness, which is preoccupying thoughts of home. Most people describe homesickness as a want or longing to be back home, continuously missing their parents, spouse, relatives, friends, mates and aspects of their familiar environments. People may describe their feelings as a deep sadness, depression, frustration, anger, or hopelessness. Suffering, or pain, is an individual's basic Affective experience of unpleasantness and aversion associated with harm or threat of harm In the fields of Psychology and Psychiatry, the terms depression or depressed refer to both expected and pathologically chronic or severe Anger is an emotional state that may range from minor irritation to intense rage In very rare instances, suicidal thoughts may accompany feelings of missing home. A suicide crisis, suicidal crisis, or potential suicide, is a situation in which a person is attempting to kill him or herself or is seriously contemplating
When physical symptoms, called "somatization", occur, the complaints are similar to common stress reaction. Symptoms may include cramps, ulcers, diarrhea, headaches, tense muscles, vomiting, tears, crying and withdrawal, etc. Cramps, sometimes called Charley horses are unpleasant often painful sensations caused by contraction or over shortening of Muscles Cramps can be caused by cold Ulcers are healing wounds that develop on the skin mucous membranes or eye In Medicine, diarrhea, also spelled diarrhoea (see spelling differences) is frequent loose or liquid Bowel movements Acute diarrhea A headache ( cephalalgia in medical terminology is a condition of pain in the Head; sometimes Neck or upper back pain may also be interpreted Cramps, sometimes called Charley horses are unpleasant often painful sensations caused by contraction or over shortening of Muscles Cramps can be caused by cold Vomiting (also called throwing up, emesis) is the forceful expulsion of the contents of one's Stomach through the Mouth and sometimes the Tears are the liquid product of a process of lacrimation to clean and lubricate the Eyes The word lacrimation may also be used in a medical or literary sense Note that the symptoms of homesickness, as well as the ways of coping with it (discussed below) are idiosyncratic. Idiosyncrasy, from Greek ιδιοσυγκρασία idiosunkrasia, "a peculiar temperament" "habit of body" ( idios "one's own" Different people experience homesickness differently and cope with it in different ways.
Prevention and treatment
Psychologists say that the best way to prevent homesickness is to spend practice time away from home. Previous experience away helps develop and refine the coping skills most effective for an individual. A study by the American Academy of Pediatrics published in January, 2007, in the journal Pediatrics, also recommends that parents involve children in every aspect of planning separation, and not offer to pick the child up before the period of separation is scheduled to end. [1]
Once separated from home, children and adults report that the most effective ways of coping include:
- Keeping a positive attitude
- Maintaining contact with home, through letters (traditional or electronic)
- Activity
- Communication
- Enjoying what's different about the novel environment
- Bringing a "transitional object" (something special from home)
Researchers also claim that light green as a colour, could help relieve the feelings of homesickness. Green is a Color, the perception of which is evoked by light having a spectrum dominated by energy with a Wavelength of roughly 520–570- nm.
See also
References
- ^ New thinking needed on helping kids avoid or cope with homesickness, experts say. By Kara Gavin, University of Michigan Health System. The term nostalgia describes a longing for the past often in idealized form January 2, 2007. Events 366 - The Alamanni cross the frozen Rhine River in large numbers invading the Roman Empire. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century.
External links
- CampSpirit.com - Ideas about homesickness prevention and treatment, especially with children, plus empirical research on homesickness phenomenology.
- CampParents.org - The American Camp Association's main page for parents, with links to more research on homesickness and materials for homesickness prevention.
- "Preventing and Treating Homesickness" - Direct link to the American Academy of Pediatrics clinical report published in the journal "Pediatrics"
- SurvivingCollegeLife.com - A site dedicated to easing the transition between high school and living away at college. Includes ideas for college students coping with homesickness, as well as a broad spectrum of articles to help students make the adjustment to living in their own.
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