How to cope with homesickness 何以解鄉愁？

古詩中說道：獨在異鄉為異客，每逢佳節倍思親。作客他鄉，有時確實會分外想傢。為什麼人們會產生思鄉之情？有哪些方法可以幫助你適應新的環境並正確地應對鄉愁？本文探討遊子思鄉的原因和難過時調整心情的方法。

詞匯：homesickness 思鄉

Starting a dream job in a new city, winning a place at a prestigious university abroad or being able to travel for an extended period. All fantastic opportunities, but they can leave us feeling sad and alone. What is homesickness and what can we do about it?

Homesickness is mentioned in Homer’s Odyssey – it’s nothing new. Common symptoms include sadness, anxiety and irritability. It also can trigger self-protection responses causing people to withdraw from activities and become apathetic and unmotivated. Homesickness can affect anyone, but there are some factors that can make people more resilient when faced by it. Clinical psychologist Christopher Thurber and healthcare professional Edward Walton, tell us that positive previous experiences of being away from home, an optimistic outlook and a settled home background can help people deal better with the condition. Homesickness can also be less severe when someone feels in control of their situation, rather than feeling that they have been forced to move.

Regardless of these factors, homesickness does affect most people who move away from home. Psychologist Nilufar Ahmed recommends that people acknowledge homesickness, accept that it will happen and work through their feelings. Connections are important. Ahmed suggests people seek to fully involve themselves in their new surroundings, to focus on the positives of their new environment, get to know new people, and keep themselves active. She also suggests maintaining contact with home, through video chats or other means, and also to have reminders of home, such as familiar food. However, other psychologists, like Thurber and Walton, remind us that it’s important that these connections to home do not prevent people taking up new opportunities.

Some form of homesickness is almost inevitable when we move to a new place. Understanding that this is the case, and taking small steps to lessen the impact, can help us make the most of new opportunities.

詞匯表

abroad 在國外
extended period 長期
anxiety 焦慮
irritability 煩躁，易怒
self-protection 自我保護
withdraw 脫離，不再參與
apathetic 無興趣的，冷漠的
unmotivated 無動力的，沒有熱情的
resilient 適應力強的
optimistic outlook 樂觀的看法
settled 穩定的
work through 逐步處理、解決
connection （人與人的）聯系
involve （使）參與
surroundings 周圍環境
active 活躍的
maintain contact 保持聯系
familiar 熟悉的