If you’ve been on the road for a while and have just got home then you are going to know all about a thing called reverse culture shock. The home that you left is not the home that you are going back to and that person who left is not the same person that has returned. Whether you like it or not, long term travel changes you, you’re more independent, you’ve seen a different side to the World and you’ve experienced things that few among your family and friends have experienced. The question is, once you have this affliction, how do you go about curing it and slipping back into life as it once was?
Talk About Your Experience
It is very important that you don’t become ‘that person’ who never shuts up about their amazing travels, but at the same time it can really help you bed back in with friends and family if you talk about your experiences. The trick here is knowing when to talk about it and when not, don’t find any excuse to crowbar in a travel story.
Expect That Things Haven’t Changed
Even though you may have been on an amazing adventure, the possibility for many is that things simply haven’t changed, they still do the same job and live the same life. This doesn’t make your friends boring, it just means that they have different outlooks on life to you, and there is no problem with that. You still have similar interests and history with your friends so remember that when spending time with them, they won’t hate you because you’ve changed, so don’t hate them because they haven’t.
Keep Things Adventurous
Just because you’re back to your ‘old’ life doesn’t mean that the adventure should stop, you should still be seeking out new things to do, new places to go and new activities to get involved with. Those who travel have a desire to take risks and seek new experiences, that shouldn’t stop when you get back home.
Move On
Traveling is all about moving, experiencing something amazing, logging it in the memory bank and moving on to the next one and that is actually what you should be doing now. You had an awesome experience, it altered you and it thrilled you, now is the time to move on, ask yourself what’s next, the next goal, the next adventure or the next chapter. You’ve been living this way for a while now so why change the outlook.
Establish a Schedule
Getting a routine in place quickly can really help you to overcome reverse culture shock. Try to give your days some routine, whether it be working out every morning, going for a coffee in the same place each day, seeing friends and family on an evening or whatever else you plan to do to fill your days. Having a routine gives your life the structure it needs after such a long period of madness and you will actually find that a strict routine is welcome in your life and will help you to move forward from your adventures.