We all feel homesick from time to time. Whether you are at the campsite 30 kilometers from home or in an all-inclusive resort in Turkey. Fortunately, Ad Vingerhoets knows what you can do against homesickness. “A paracetamol can have an effect”, advises the emeritus professor of Emotions and Well-being at Tilburg University,
Believe it or not, there is a link between a acetaminophen and reducing homesickness. “Like heartbreak, homesickness is a psychological pain and in the brain it partly consists of physical pain,” explains the professor.
“An American study previously proved that heartbreak decreased in a group of students after taking a paracetamol. After taking the drug, the physical pain decreased, so that the students had less heartbreak. So you could say that the same applies to homesickness.”
“Go to a campsite nearby so you can go home in between.”
If you don’t want to grab the pills right away, there are other things you can do. “If you know yourself that you quickly get homesick, you have to find a way to deal with it. You can do this by planning many activities that provide distraction. Or by camping close to home so that you can relax in between. can go home.”
However, Vingerhoets also knows that it is not easy for many people. “You can’t do much if you really suffer from homesickness. Some people can’t sleep or eat and even get a fever. Even if you are very active on holiday, you always have weak moments when you think about home, for example before going to sleep or when you wake up.”
“More homesick if you’re not so flexible.”
Certain character traits can make you more homesick. “Homesickness is about two things: letting go of the home situation and integrating into the new environment. If you are not so flexible about yourself or are difficult to deal with unfamiliar situations, you are probably more homesick.”
In addition to the home situation and your own rituals, you can actually miss a place or province. “A man from Brabant once told me that he had to see the tower in his village when he woke up, otherwise he would not be well,” says the professor.
“It could also be separation anxiety.”
The question is, however, whether people suffer from homesickness in all cases. “You can also suffer from separation anxiety. You can test that with young children. If the homesickness subsides as soon as the child not only sleeps with grandparents, but spends the night with mom and dad at the grandparents’ house, we don’t speak of homesickness but separation anxiety. .”
According to Vingerhoets, distance does not play a role in homesickness, although the Costa Brava is more like the home front than Bangkok. “A country with a Western culture is more like home, but in principle it remains an unfamiliar environment.” The professor recommends staying at home if it is really no longer possible. “But otherwise you just have to learn to deal with it.”