Finding stability after being uprooted
Arriving in an unfamiliar country — often while fleeing difficult circumstances — means losing a sense of security, peace, and comfort, which is not easily overcome. This uprooting can deeply affect both physical and mental well-being, while also creating challenges in connecting with peers, further reinforcing the sense of isolation in an already unfamiliar environment.
If you have experienced an uprooting or a rupture from the place you used to call “home,” you may feel disoriented or lost as you try to find a safe space in which to feel welcome. Here are some suggestions that can help you cope with this experience:
- Don't avoid memories of the past, but try to use them as a foundation on which to build new meanings. Memories can become a bridge between what you were and what you are becoming.
- Reduce daily discomforts as much as possible by seeking small habits that make you feel stable, such as a morning routine, a familiar object, or a quiet place to stop and reflect.
- Seek out people who have had similar experiences. Sharing what you feel with those who can truly understand you can offer relief and strengthen your sense of belonging.
- Try establishing a time frame. Giving experiences a start and end point gives not only direction to grow towards but also creates a sense of security.
- Believe in the power of reconstruction. Although what has been lost cannot be recovered exactly as it was, it is possible to create something new that has meaning for you. Belief in this process can positively influence your future.
Remember that: rebuilding a sense of home is a personal journey, made up of small steps and openness to new experiences, without erasing what has already happened.
