Launch International 2025 South Africa Field Guide

R E - E N T R Y S T R E S S B Y : T H E I N T E R N A T I O N A L M I S I O N S B O A R D , S B C

Returning home and getting back to normal can be challenging for some as the their personal sense of “normal” has evolved. You must be intentional about your thoughts and actions over the coming weeks. There are several contributing factors to re-entry stress. 1) You are being caught by surprise; 2) You do not anticipate change and consequently are unprepared to cope; 3) Your values, once taken for granted and even highly cherished, now seem of lesser significance or of little importance. Your way of thinking, your manner, and your responses to many situations have been changing. COMMON SYMPTOMS AND EFFECTS OF RE-ENTRY STRESS 1. Disorientation: feeling out of place, not fitting in. Work feels different now. Church “life” or services may seem unfulfilling and home can be challenging. 2. Feelings of loneliness, isolation, or being lost in the crowd 3. Restlessness: a desire to “get away” from those who don’t seem to understand or care 4. Feeling that nobody understands your experience or that nobody cares 5. Feeling tired and listless 6. Critical attitude toward home country, its waste, extravagance, wrong way of doing things, etc. 7. Loss of identity: just “another cog in a big wheel” 8. Retreat, withdrawal, lack of concern 9. Confusion over conflicting attitudes and responses 10. Rejection of overseas experiences or a desire to forget and not talk about them Often these changes are not apparent until you are back in your home culture. ALL BY MYSELF (the isolationist) - A common re-entry coping mechanism is the tendency to isolate and be alienated. A person who responds in this way pulls away from other like-minded people and avoids interactions. They can express strong, judgmental attitudes towards their own home culture, including their church. They may also daydream about the short-term trip, holding onto memories - unable to move forward. THIS NEVER HAPPENED (the denier)- This person goes “native” by reverting immediately back to conventional norms. They resume life as if nothing has happened and they don’t translate the impact of the short-term trip experiences into the rest of life. Sometimes they are so shaken by trip, they even step BACK from their involvement in church life. ALL IN FOR CHANGE - This person accepts the reality of transitions between 2 cultures. They relate with the home culture in a way that doesn’t compromise or negate new values of lessons learned from the trip. They can recognize that changes have occured in their life and heart and will work to incorporate them. There 3 types of ways people typically respond in the short and long term:

What concerns you most about going back home?

Have you experienced this before? If so, how did you overcome it?

List things you can do if you find yourself in a negative headspace?

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