A Bride Worth Billions (65 page)

Given the situations, feelings, thoughts and experiences you have as a result of reverse culture shock, you should consciously deal with them and give yourself time to re-adjust. In the next pages, you will find tips that could guide you as you navigate your way through this reverse culture shock.

The first sets of recommendations below are a guide on how to strengthen your relationships with your various friends.

Strengthening Relationships

1. Accept that you are now different.
   The first step to dealing with reverse culture shock is by changing your mindset about yourself. Accept the fact that you are not the same as before. You look at the world differently now and others may not recognize this. Know that this is entirely okay. Be true to yourself. If the consequence of this is that some friendships have to change, then let it be. Changes always happen, that is the nature of life. 
   

1. Take your time with meeting everyone.
   To deal with the overwhelming pull of people wanting to see you, take your time in meeting them.  If you’re going to stay in the country long or for good, you have all the time to meet everyone. Schedule meet-ups at your convenient time. And you don’t have to attend every event. Just take it slow.
   

You can also organize one event and tell everyone about it. This means you don’t have to go to every social function just to see your friends and relatives. You will have the chance the meet everyone in one place and at one time. This saves you a lot of time that you can use to settle down first before you move on to rebuilding relationships.

1. Communicate with people from your host country.
   You may feel reverse homesickness and miss your friends abroad. The most obvious thing to do is to communicate with them and take advantage of today’s technology. Staying in touch with them would make you feel that you have not totally discarded what you learned from your experiences, especially if you have started to speak in their language. You can stay updated with each other’s activities through social media like Facebook and Twitter. Or simply exchange emails or chat in Skype.
   

1. Make friends with those who accept you
   . You should spend time with those who accept the new you and build new relationships in the process. Perhaps there are other people who have experienced travelling and totally get what you’re going through. You will find that it’s more comfortable and easier to be with them. You should still hang out with your closest friends, but nurture other friendships as well.
   

1. Reunite with old friends
   . Although you miss your friends abroad, don’t forget your closest friends in your hometown. Reconnect with the people who have shared special moments with you and stood by you through thick and thin. They may not be as interesting as your overseas friends, but you should cherish them nevertheless. They may also not be as enthusiastic of your tales abroad, so do not monopolize your conversations by telling stories of your experiences. Also, listen to their stories about what happened to them while you were away.
   

You can also reminisce and laugh about your moments together in the past. You will feel happy and it will remind you of the things that make your friendship special and how great your friends are. It will also make them realize that despite your absence, you still love and cherish them.

1. Make a photo album
   . Preserve your memories by compiling your photos abroad in an album. This will be beneficial for you later when you want to take yourself back to your moments abroad. And you can use this as a tool to get through your friends who appear not to take interest in your travels and who don’t understand your experiences. People are visual creatures and photos tell their own stories. A photo album will enable your friends to imagine your life abroad as you recount your experiences with them.
   

1. Realize that others cannot relate to your experiences
   . U
   nderstand that the reason others are shutting you off may be because they don’t know what to say or can’t relate with you. They have little understanding or connection with your experiences.
   

Also, you should refrain from making all of your conversations about your travel or life abroad. But don’t shut if off either. Perhaps, you can let others know that it’s part of who you are, that it’s important to you and that you feel bad when they don’t seem interested.

You can also find other people who have gone abroad just like you and swap stories with them. They share your feelings and will mostly likely be excited to go down memory lane with you.

To deal with your frustrations about being back in your hometown and your criticisms with the way things work, you should look at things from a fresher perspective. The following tips can enable you to appreciate your hometown again and thereby be more comfortable living there.

1. Realize that things are just different. You can deal with the discomfort of being critical of your home country by reminding yourself that things are not necessarily better or worse, they are just different. You experienced this when you first set foot abroad. The same works for reverse culture shock. It is totally fine to appreciate other systems and cultures more, but don’t try to fight the old ways. If you are frustrated with the internet speed, stop wishing you were back abroad where the net loads faster. Prepare some coffee and snacks, so by the time you get back, the page has already loaded.
   

1. Incorporate the things you liked in your travels into the traditional ways of your home country. You can cope with reverse homesickness by doing things you used to do in your host country and integrating them in your life back in your home country. For example, you can introduce a dish that you like in your Christmas dinner. You get to savor the food you miss at the same time give your family the opportunity to discover what you liked about it.
   

1. Look for those things you love about your country and focus on that. To veer away from negative thoughts about your hometown, you can re-discover what it has to offer. If you love your beaches, go there and enjoy yourself. Or, if you’ve always liked the local festivals, then watch or participate in them. These would take your mind off the things that you dislike about your home country. 
   

1. Start travelling in your locality
   . You can overcome boredom and get back the excitement of your travels by exploring your locality. Get on a train and visit tourist spots and heritage sites. If you’re the sporty type, trek or bike to hills and mountains. You can also try out restaurants that have sprung up since you’ve been gone and have a taste of their dishes. This will cure your wanderlust at the same time make you appreciate what your country has to offer.
   

As you re-adjust to your home environment, here are some other ways that can help you deal with reverse culture shock.

Appreciate the moment.

Sometimes your longing for your host country may make you forget about where you are. Live in the present moment and take time to appreciate the sights and sounds of your hometown. It could be as simple as enjoying the cool weather, the bright full moon, or a cup of brewed coffee. Be thankful for what you have. No matter how down you feel, you can find something to appreciate in your hometown.

Share your stories with others

You may feel that others are not interested in your experiences, but there will be close friends who are eager to listen to you with honest interest.

You can also channel your energies by writing a memoir or starting a blog that will allow you to share stories with others without forcing them to listen to you. You can even write articles for the local paper to address your urge to share your insights and experiences.

Ask for training
 

If you’re an expat, you can prepare yourself to re-enter your home country by undergoing training. This training should not only be for you but also for your entire family who are returning to your homeland. Repatriation trainings will help you and your family accepts the fact that you all have significantly changed and enable you to better adjust to changes in your home country as well. 

See a counselor

If after trying everything, you seem not to be readjusted yet to your hometown, seek professional help. If you’re a student, meet with your campus counselor or international educational coordinator to seek advice about coping with reverse culture shock. You may also want to connect with other people who have the same experiences as you. You can commiserate with them and ask them for suggestions on how to transcend the shock.

Keep a journal

Writing down your experiences while you were abroad and upon returning home will help you sort out your feelings and deal with reverse culture shock. Articulating your thoughts in a journal would help clarify some of the confusion and alienation that you feel. It may make you realize the differences between cultures and accept these differences. You will also keep track on how you have changed or how others have changed. Writing down your thoughts and feelings on paper will also help you distance yourself from the mixed emotions that you experience. It will help you have a more objective view of the situation and appreciate it from a broader perspective.

Stay international

You are now different. Being back in your home country, doesn’t mean that you should change your new you or go back to the same lifestyle you had before you left. You don’t have to do these just to fit in. You don’t need to give up your character and interests that you’ve learned from abroad. Maintain your lifestyle and new habits. But you should also be flexible and remain open to the unexpected. These are what helped you deal with the shock of encountering a new culture when you were abroad. These could also help you deal with reverse culture shock. Learn to readjust while keeping your international perspective. Read international magazines and foreign publications or access news from your host countries through the web and social media.

Bear in mind that the feeling will pass

Finally, you should keep in mind that feelings associated with reverse culture shock will eventually come to pass. It’s just like many other episodes in your life that you’ve overcome. As you readjust and become re-acclimated to your home environment, you will remember your experiences abroad fondly. You must keep the experience in perspective and use them and the knowledge you’ve gained to your advantage. Maintain the international outlook in all aspects of your life. Know that all your experiences have contributed to shaping what you are. 

Thank you again for downloading this book! 

I hope this book was able to help you to deal with and overcome reverse culture shock. 

The next step is to apply the tips and guidelines provided here towards becoming re-adjusted to your life back at home.

Finally, if you enjoyed this book, then I’d like to ask you for a favor, would you be kind enough to leave a review for this book on Amazon? It’d be greatly appreciated!

Click here to leave a review for this book on Amazon!

Thank you and good luck!

PTSD

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms, Causes, and Effects

I want to thank you and congratulate you for downloading the book,
“PTSD: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms, Causes, and Effects”
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Many devastating events happen in our daily lives. Earthquakes, wars, and other problems can be terrifying. Although people may take some time to recover from these negative experiences, others begin to develop PTSD after being overwhelmed by such negativity. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD is a serious mental condition that detriments the life of the patient. He would have difficulty performing his daily tasks as fear and anxiety continuously haunt him. Hence, PTSD creates a significant impact in his life and the lives of those around him. Knowing this, it is important to find ways to respond to this sensitive condition to help the individual get back on his feet and live life normally again.

This book contains proven steps and strategies on how to detect and treat PTSD. Additionally, one can be able to find better ways to cope with PTSD patients to support their full recovery.

Thanks again for downloading this book, I hope you enjoy it!

 Copyright 2015 by Valerie Wright- All rights reserved.

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