Whether you've gone away to college, moved to a new city or even just traveled for vacation.
Whether you've gone away to college, moved to a new city or even just traveled for vacation, homesickness is a common emotional experience. But what exactly are we feeling when we experience homesickness, why do we feel it so deeply, and why does it sometimes affect us physically?
“Homesickness has everything to do with attachment (依恋)," said Joshua Kiapow, a physically and emotionally," he explained. "We're longing for something that in our minds is known, predictable, consistent and stable."
Of course, different people experience homesickness in different ways. Kiapow said homesickness often causes physical changes in our bodies. "You feel it in your stomach — it' s an unease in which you feel uncomfortable, nervous, anxious, stressed, or tense because you're in a place or situation that's not familiar, that triggers (触发) your "fight-or-flight" response (“战或逃”反应), he said. "It's an evolutionary (进化的), adaptive thing that wires us to protect ourselves from danger when something is unknown. When we think about home, we know that the sense of unknown and potential danger is not happening there, so we want to return."
Meanwhile, longing and sadness also play a big part in feeling homesick. "The comfort of home becomes like a person you've lost and miss," said Kiapow. "You may have some (memories) about home and what you're missing, comparing everything in your day to your experience back home, and that can create a lot of sadness."
So what's the best way to fight homesickness? According to Klapow, keeping yourself busy with activities like schoolwork is a good way to keep your mind focused on other things. "When you're doing an activity, it distracts you, but you're also creating a new reality for yourself," he said. And, most importantly, sharing your feelings with others who are going through the same thing as you are means you have a support network. "Once you feel compassion (同情) from other people in the same place, you tend to feel less homesick," as Klapow said.
【小题1】When people are homesick, they may often feel changes in their__________.| A．heart | B．head | C．stomach | D．lungs |
| A．Lack of self-control. | B．Uncertainty about one's environment. |
| C．Longing for love. | D．Pessimism about the future. |
| A．It protects people from getting hurt. |
| B．It prevents people from exploring new environments. |
| C．It helps people to have a closer relationship with their family. |
| D．It brings about both physical and mental discomfort. |
| A．Communicating with people in the same situation. | B．Making more friends through different activities. |
| C．Seeking help from doctors and specialists. | D．Showing compassion for people around you. |
