Expat Exchange Community
8 years ago
Reverse Homesickness
8 years ago
Dear Expats & related
I was wondering if anyone knew or if anyone has experienced Reverse Homesickness and could give me some words of advice.
I have read some websites about this topic but they usually refer to at-least 1 year stays overseas.
Recently I came back from a short term stay overseas and have been in this country over the last 4 years, only perhaps 5 months in total.
However, every time I go, this feeling becomes stronger and stronger, and just arriving back now. I feel absolutely horrible, I feel intensely empty, confused, and as if I lost a part of myself when I left the country I was staying in. I feel like I'm going crazy. Some people do not understand me and actually insinuated I was not normal because "but this is your home", but I don't feel like that anymore, already since the first time I went to this country. I don't know what to do with myself and I am having random panic attacks. I hate days when I do not have any plans, because I have to sit with myself and I feel it a lot more. I even catch myself refering to home as over there.
I feel like i suit a lot better overseas and I feel increasingly detached from my home countries values, and culture.
It's even worse that I can't talk to anyone here in my home country that understands because they were not in my position. So this is why I am writing here.
Is this a common occurrence? I would very much appreciate any sort of help or any sign that I am not the only one who feels like this.
I also apologise for the lack of country specific information, I am just a bit concerned about privacy and some ex friends of mine finding this some how.
Thank you very much
I was wondering if anyone knew or if anyone has experienced Reverse Homesickness and could give me some words of advice.
I have read some websites about this topic but they usually refer to at-least 1 year stays overseas.
Recently I came back from a short term stay overseas and have been in this country over the last 4 years, only perhaps 5 months in total.
However, every time I go, this feeling becomes stronger and stronger, and just arriving back now. I feel absolutely horrible, I feel intensely empty, confused, and as if I lost a part of myself when I left the country I was staying in. I feel like I'm going crazy. Some people do not understand me and actually insinuated I was not normal because "but this is your home", but I don't feel like that anymore, already since the first time I went to this country. I don't know what to do with myself and I am having random panic attacks. I hate days when I do not have any plans, because I have to sit with myself and I feel it a lot more. I even catch myself refering to home as over there.
I feel like i suit a lot better overseas and I feel increasingly detached from my home countries values, and culture.
It's even worse that I can't talk to anyone here in my home country that understands because they were not in my position. So this is why I am writing here.
Is this a common occurrence? I would very much appreciate any sort of help or any sign that I am not the only one who feels like this.
I also apologise for the lack of country specific information, I am just a bit concerned about privacy and some ex friends of mine finding this some how.
Thank you very much
