Not only must you look out for your physical health, you also need to care for your mental and emotional well-being. This can include dealing with ‘reverse culture shock’ which is extremely common among returned volunteers. Most sending organisations should provide some form of debriefing, preferably in-country and on return home. Debriefing gives you the opportunity to provide feedback on the project, and allows the agency to hear constructive comments and acknowledge the individual’s role. In many cases, it is also an opportunity to reflect on your personal experiences, things that you are proud of from your time away, the significance of certain events, personal growth and any issues that you may have struggled with personally. A debriefing session can be one of the first and essential steps for overcoming reverse culture shock.
If your sending agency does not organise a debriefing session, Comhlámh can arrange a personal debriefing service. You can also look through some of the tips below for ideas about smoothly transitioning to life at home.
For many volunteers coming home is the most mentally tough phase of their overseas volunteering experience. While they are mentally psyched up for the challenges of going overseas, they give less consideration to the challenges of coming home, which can cause a bit of a shock to the system.
Some of the challenges faced by returned volunteers are:
- Reverse Culture Shock: finding it difficult to readjust to what was once normal.
- Homesickness for the place they have left
- Feeling of uselessness compared to feeling needed and useful while overseas
- Boredom (particularly if coming home to unemployment
A few tips to help you tackle these issues:
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Keep in contact with your friends and your project in your host country
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Spend time reflecting on your experiences, whether sorting through photos or re-reading your diary or journal, it is important to take the time to acknowledge the impact that your volunteering experience has had.
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Think about having
counselling if necessary. Comhlámh can assist you with this, subsidising the costs of a counselling session with a counsellor specialising in returned development workers.
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If you have been overseas for more than three months, take advantage of
free membership to Comhlámh to stay connected with other returned development workers and people connected to the social justice sector
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If you have been overseas for longer than three months, think about coming to a Comhlámh ‘Coming Home Weekend’ to meet other returnees and share experiences and advice about handling the coming home process.
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Stay involved; volunteer locally or campaign and advocate on global social justice issues.
Sign up to Comhlámh’s monthly e-newsletter,
e-link, to find out what activities, campaigns and events are taking place in Ireland.
Comhlámh offers a range of services to returned volunteers and development workers, including a counselling service and a personal debriefing service. Follow the link for a complete list of services. NEXT>