Homecoming: More Than Just Physical Travel, Mental Health Risks Must Be Heeded

Historically, preparation for mudik has been synonymous with logistical matters—securing tickets, checking vehicle condition, and preparing gifts for family in one’s hometown. However, one crucial aspect often escapes the attention of travellers: mental readiness.

Dr. Ray Wagiu Basrowski, physician and founder of Health Collaborative Center (HCC), has highlighted that the homecoming journey carries genuine psychological risks.

According to the 2023 behavioral travel survey by the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), approximately 41% of adults undertaking mudik experience symptoms of anxiety and mild to moderate depression during the travel period.

According to Basrowski, this condition is triggered by the accumulation of various stress factors. Physically, long-distance travel with travel time uncertainty and extreme fatigue serve as primary triggers. In Indonesia, this burden is compounded by severe traffic congestion, disrupted sleep patterns, and irregular eating habits that induce biological stress on the body.

However, the pressure does not stop at physical fatigue alone. Basrowski, also an initiator of the Community Mental Health Advocacy Caucus, emphasises the presence of “social pressure” accompanying the mudik period.

“For many people, returning to one’s hometown is not merely about meeting family, but also confronting unwritten social expectations. Questions about employment, marital status, and life achievements often become sources of distinct pressure,” Basrowski stated through educational content on his Instagram account.

The expectation to always “appear successful” before one’s social environment creates significant psychological burden. When this social pressure meets physical fatigue, an accumulative stressor is created that reinforces itself.

The impact of this mental exhaustion is often imperceptible. Travellers may become more irritable, find it difficult to enjoy togetherness, experience overthinking, and tend to withdraw from interaction.

Rather than becoming a moment of personal recovery, the mudik period can instead become an unrecognised period of mental exhaustion.

To ensure travel remains healthy overall, Basrowski recommends several simple strategies to maintain mental health during mudik.

Without adequate mental preparation, the body may arrive at its destination geographically, but psychological condition is already depleted.

Ideally, mudik is a homecoming journey that brings peace, not one that adds to life’s burdens.