Good afternoon, everyone.(using an example (personal experience as attention getter)
There was nothing but excitement for me when I first stepped ontothe grounds of the University of Illinois.
Blue sky. Big plain. New school. New town. A new phase of my life,even in the corn fields. It's just like wow! I was just excited that I'm in newsurroundings.
By the second week, the freshness of new environment had faded. I found myself lying on my bedafter classes with the lights turned off and staring at the ceil of mydormitory. All I could think of were the faces of my friends and family, andthe dumplings my mum made, it was so delicious.
Then Irealized there was something wrong with me. What was my problem?
I washomesick.(definition of homesick)
As my routines are replaced with new social andacademic pressures and foreigners, homesickness -- the longing ache for thefamiliar, friends, and family -- sets in. In a paper co-written by ChrisThurber and Edward Walton, homesickness is defined as "distress andfunctional impairment caused by an actual or anticipated separation from homeand attachment objects such as parents." The anxiety, sadness, nervousness,even depression, always appeared with thoughts of home. Yet homesickness isn'tnecessarily about home. And neither is it exactly an illness. Instead, it derives from our instinctive need for love, protection and security --feelings and qualities usually associated with home, said Josh Klapow, a clinical psychologist and associate professor at the University of Alabama. If not deal properly, it will cause severe problems. So, the question is, how can we get over homesickness?
The answer comes from the study of homesickness. Being homesick isnot literally just missing your house. You're missing what's normal, what isroutine, the larger sense of social space, because those are the things thathelp us survive. Homesickness is merely an emotion that comes in waves. Theycome and they go, butthe length and intensity varyfrom person to person. The connection of every 5 minutes with the familydoesn’t help, I found when I miss my family, I would better not to call themtoo frequently. By living through a difficult separation, your mind forcesitself to cope. In another word,time is the cure, just let it go.
Some may wonder, Is there something other people can do to help when you are homesick?
So another effective wayto dealwith homesickness isapproaching an outsider for help, for instance, a counselor. Not doing so is as foolish as not consulting a doctor when someone is suffering from any other severe diseases. The phycologists cannot prevent homesickness; however, they can help to decrease its intensity!But the connection of every 5 minutes with the family doesn’t help. If there's any sort of assistance family can make, it is to schedule a specific time to contact. It also allows space and time for to make social connections among peers -- and gain more independence.For example, I read a story from CNN, that in 1969, a homesick mechanic in the US Air Force stole a Hercules plane from his base in England and set off for the States, just because he missed his family so much, and his officer refuse to give him vocation! If he can get support from his officer, the tragedy could have been avoided!
The bottom line is, we can take proper measures to handle homesickness.Time is apowerful force. It helps us to cope with ourselves and strengthen our problemsolving and time management skills. In addition, by adapting to new environment,making new friends, and reaching outsiders for help, can increase ourindependence.
We gethomesick because "there are things that we love," If there werenothing in the world we were attached to, then we wouldn't miss them when we're away."
Citation:
1, Homesickness isn't really about 'home'
http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/08/16/homesickness.not.about.home/index.html
2, Themystery of the homesick mechanic who stole a plane
http://www.bbc.com/news/stories-43800089
3, How to handle being ‘homesickness’ as an adult?
https://lifehacker.com/how-to-handle-being-homesick-as-an-adult-1737952556