Returning home after a long time abroad can be a truly rewarding and much-awaited experience. However, it can also pose several distinct challenges, from reverse culture shock to even a new language barrier. Let's see what can be done to make the transition easier.
What is reverse culture shock?
Reverse culture shock, also known as "re-entry shock," is the name given to the psychological and emotional discomfort that you may experience when you return to your home country after having spent an extended period living abroad.
Unlike the initial culture shock you may face when trying to adjust to life in a new country, a reverse culture shock happens when you try to re-integrate into your own culture. And it can manifest in different ways. Reverse culture shock may come with feelings of anxiety, disorientation, and frustration — and if left ignored – may even lead to depression. This is why it's important to recognize that you are experiencing culture shock early on.
Here are a few tell-tale signs that you may be experiencing culture shock:
- You are feeling like a stranger in your home country, and it seems that you can't fit it.
- You often find yourself thinking back to your experience abroad and missing the culture, people, and lifestyle you got used to there.
- You can't help comparing your home country to your expat destination and feel that your home is, in some way, lacking.
- You feel irritated by certain aspects of your home culture that were once second nature to you.
- You have problems reconnecting with friends and family, as your life experiences are no longer the same, and you have different priorities and ways of life.
- You may find it challenging to adjust to your professional and social life.
- You start feeling that you're at a disadvantage because of these newly acquired cultural, social and, perhaps, language barriers.
- Finally, you begin to question your identity and where you truly belong.
Overall, reverse culture shock may be accompanied by a whole rollercoaster of emotions, taking you from excitement all the way down to confusion as you navigate this complicated transition.
How to readapt to your home country after many years abroad?
Say you've realized that you are experiencing reverse culture shock. What's next? Does this mean you have to go back to your expat life, where you felt happier and at peace? Or should you put in the work to readjust to your life back home?
The answers to these questions do depend on your specific situation. In some cases, you may eventually realize that the life you've experienced in a different country is the life you prefer – and, eventually, move back. However, in many situations, people may have solid reasons for wanting to rebuild their life at home: family, work, friends, financial and social security benefits – and more. So, how should you go about doing that?
Most expats agree that taking practical small steps to adjust to life at home is the most efficient approach. These steps can come in different forms.
Enroll in a language refresher course
If you've spent a lot of time abroad and have trouble efficiently getting your ideas across in your native language, a short language refresher course can be a great place to start. In addition to regaining fluency in your home language, you will give yourself extra time to readjust and, possibly, make new acquaintances.
Read local news and books in your native language
Few things absorb the culture of a place as much as the written word. Start reading newspapers, books, and magazines in your native language, stay updated with current events, and expand your vocabulary. This may help you get the “feel” of your home faster and provide easy conversation topics with colleagues, friends, and families.
Watch TV and movies
To “get used” to the sound and rhythm of your native language again, you can watch TV and movies. This will also help you improve the cultural understanding of your home country while keeping you entertained and distracted from the challenges of this transition period.
Engage in conversations
Reverse culture shock often lends to self-induced isolation. One way to fight this is to purposefully seek to engage in conversations with people back home. Make talking to someone every day a routine, and try to learn about what life is like back home via the personal experiences of those you talk to.
Try writing your thoughts down
Keep a journal or start a blog in your native language. Writing regularly can not only help you regain language fluency faster – it can also serve as a roadmap of the thoughts and feelings you've had since your return. This can prove to be very helpful when making the decision to move or stay.
Participate in a language exchange program or cultural workshop
Help yourself by helping others. While you are trying to readjust to your life back home, some expats are newcomers in your country and may be feeling just as lost and uncertain as you did when you first left home. Assisting them in their new life in a place you call home can also bring you closer to actual feeling at home.
Seek support in the local community
When experiencing reverse cultural shock, your first instinct may be to shy away from social interactions, close off to family and friends, and stay alone with your thoughts. But you may actually feel better if you surround yourself with people who have your best interests in mind. Whether these are your friends, family, or professional support communities, readapting to your new “old” life is often better in good company.
Summing things up
While most of us expect a move abroad to be a transformative experience, moving back is rarely seen as a potential challenge. But it can be – and it's best to be prepared. Put as much effort into your move back home as you did into your move abroad: do the research, polish your language skills, get in touch with the local community, and be ready for personal growth.
