Migratory Mourning
Perhaps you have emigrated, or are about to do so, to another country, for study or work, for an extended or indefinite period. In these cases, it is usual and frequent to face migratory bereavement, which occurs when one leaves behind one’s home, family and friends.
Have you thought about what would happen if you moved away from your loved ones and best friends indefinitely from today onwards? What if tomorrow you wake up in a country other than your own, where customs and lifestyles are completely different? And, if you wanted to express how you would feel in the face of so many changes, other people’s language, accent or vocabulary was different from yours? Here are just as many usual situations in which this type of disorder is generated.
When there is a loss situation, our brain begins to make a series of emotional and cognitive adaptations. These adaptations are necessary in order to be able to get used to what will be our new reality.
This is called “mourning”. For this, certain manifestations or symptoms of this adaptation process appear, such as loss of appetite, some anxiety, or problems related to sleep. In turn, emotions emerge that we experience as negative, such as sadness or hatred.
In the case of migratory mourning, this discomfort does not generally appear at the start, when we have just left our country and we are still finalizing the administrative procedures and the papers. In other words, when our attention is still focused on what is urgent so that we can integrate in the best possible way.
Instead, after some time has passed since moving to a new country, we start to really focus on ourselves. This is the reason why migratory mourning is also called “6-month sickness” (usually considered as the period of adaptation) even if it can also be given other names.
Since emigrating involves accumulating many losses, we should really be talking about multiple bereavements : loss of home, our loved ones and our relationships, work and identity, which is probably the biggest loss. cause of discomfort. In addition, emigration is often motivated by economic precariousness, situations of violence in the country of origin, wars, persecution, etc. These are in themselves sufficiently aggravating reasons for the unhappiness situation.
For all these reasons, if you are thinking of going abroad soon, if you have just settled in what will be your host country or if you know someone who is in this situation, we will give you in the rest of this article of advice for the adaptation to be as positive and profitable as possible.
Having false expectations about the host country can be a big disappointment later on. The best thing to do is not to set expectations, so that you can analyze in a more objective way what is good and bad in the country. On the other hand, it is also not recommended to idealize the return to your home country, thinking that everything will be better than before.
From my own experience, I lived in Norway for a year, and I found that we were too idealizing the Nordic countries. Of course, there are plenty of things that are good there, and a lot of positive aspects come to life when you live there, but there are issues that arise everywhere, and which can affect us in a more or less.
Be aware that life is a constantly changing process. Emigration has existed since the origins of mankind, and now that you see yourself compelled, for one reason or another, to leave your country for another, that does not mean that in the future you will not. may not be able to come back home, or perhaps move to a different country, so that you can experience even more cultures.
With these tips, it will be easier for you to control the stress levels generated by the move and the process of integration and adaptation to another country, so that the migratory bereavement does not have too much effects. strong.
Our thoughts What is reverse culture shock, that feeling of being lost when you come home from living abroad?
