Why It Hits Harder When You’re Abroad

When you’re living in a new country — especially in your early 20s — life can feel a little different:

• You may not fully fit into the culture around you.
• You may feel the silent pressure of “having to succeed” for your family back home.
• You may carry homesickness even if you love where you are.
• You may constantly be adapting, trying to belong.

In this swirl, your nervous system shifts into a low-level stress response (psychologists call this “chronic adaptation fatigue”).

Your body starts searching for any experience that feels grounding.

And nothing is as fast and full-bodied as food:
It’s sensory, nostalgic, soothing, predictable.
It’s not “just eating” — it’s belonging, remembered through the body.

Why it’s okay—and even healthy—to honor cravings

Sometimes I hear clients or followers say:
“I know I should be eating healthy, but I just crave comfort food from India.”
“I feel so emotional after eating a dish from my culture — is this bad?”

If you’ve felt this, it’s your body’s beautiful, wise way of saying: I miss feeling safe and connected.

In fact, in psychology, this is known as emotional homeostasis — your body’s natural drive to return to a state of balance and safety.

When you approach this with guilt, you disconnect even further.
But when you approach it with gentleness — something shifts.

You can consciously let these meals be part of your emotional care. You can give yourself permission to sit with them, to feel what they bring up, and to honor that longing without shame.

How to Use Comfort Food as Self-Care, Not a Coping Trap

That said, comfort eating can tip into emotional numbing if it’s the only strategy we have.

Here’s how to make it conscious, not compulsive:

• Notice the craving — is it hunger or homesickness? Sometimes both.
• Prepare or eat the dish mindfully — let it be an intentional ritual, not rushed or guilt-ridden.
• Pair it with connection — call a family member, play a song from home, create a sensory bridge. Allow the emotion — if it brings tears or longing, that’s okay. That is your body releasing the tension to feel free.
• Balance it — use food as one form of comfort alongside others: movement, rest, expression, community.

Closing Thought

Your body remembers where you came from.
Your brain is wired to seek safety in the familiar.

In a world that often asks you to adapt, perform, and assimilate — honoring these small acts of homecoming can be one of the kindest things you do for your mental health.

So next time you crave that familiar dish, allow yourself to enjoy it fully — without apology.
Because sometimes, healing tastes exactly like home.