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Homesickness is a completely normal feeling when you first move to college.
For some, it sets in the second your parents drive away. For others it may be a few days or even weeks before you start to feel it.
It’s easy to get caught up in all the events at the beginning of the semester and try to ignore this feeling. Unfortunately, doing this only makes it worse.
Learning how to cope with homesickness can make the beginning of your year so much more fun.
And just a reminder, homesickness doesn’t only happen to freshmen!
Don’t feel bad if you just started your senior year and still feel a little homesick. That’s okay!
Now let’s talk about how to manage homesickness so you aren’t miserable the whole time.
Understand that its normal
Most people have been homesick at one time or another. I’m not saying everyone has felt exactly like you do right now, but it’s safe to say they have felt close.
Allow yourself to feel these emotions, just don’t let it take over your life.
Keep in mind, you won’t feel this way forever.
I know sometimes it feels like this feeling will never go away. Don’t worry, homesickness doesn’t last forever (Hallelujah!).
Explore your new town
When you move to college, you have probably been there before to visit, but you live here now. Explore!
Check out the local restaurants, shops, and activities. Also, if you like coffee, it’s about to become your lifeline, so you might as well find all the good coffee shops, too.
If you have no idea where to start, ask your RA or even just some upperclassmen you know!
They’ll show you all the hotspots and might even join you to check them out.
Schedule some alone time
I know sitting alone sulking in your room doesn’t seem like it would be very helpful, does it?
Allowing yourself to acknowledge your feelings can prevent them from building up. You need to allow yourself time to look at photos and reminisce about your time at home. It’s okay!
Plus, alone time doesn’t have to mean being cooped up in your room. You could check out the local park or even just sit on campus and relax.
Schedule visit home
Notice I didn’t say “go home”, right?
That’s because going home as soon as you start missing it gets you nowhere, especially the first few weeks. You will just be reminded of all of the things you miss and continue the cycle, not to mention all the on campus opportunities you’ll miss!
Start a new routine
Did you know moving to a new place is the best time to start a new routine, get rid of an old habit or learn something new?
Most of us subconsciously associate routines and actions with the places we perform them, so if you are missing home, old routines might just be the culprit.
Try adopting some new habits or letting go of old routines. There are all sorts of things to fill in the spots.
Find your people
Finding people that you share genuine connection with is so important during college!
These will be the people you study with, laugh with, and even cry with. Make sure you find the right ones! Join clubs, organizations, or even just study groups and stay involved. This will help distract yourself from homesickness during such an interesting time!
Write letters or call home
Don’t go overboard on this one.
I’ll be honest, I think I do better if I don’t contact home (except to talk to my nephews), but this is really helpful for some people.
If you’re like me and calling home makes you cry every time, maybe it’s best to limit your calls to once a week or so.
Otherwise, you could schedule a time to call your family every other day until the semester gets busy. Even sending a text to the family group chat each morning might make you feel better.
Put up pictures in your room
I think most freshman girls probably already do this one. My freshman year, I had more than 20 pictures from high school all over my room.
Having reminders of your friends is great, but make sure to throw some of your family up there too.
I won’t lie, I cried every now and then looking at some of my pictures, but it reminded me that I have such a great support system waiting for me back home.
Keep something from home in your dorm
Have a favorite painting? Plant? What about a blanket?
These things are great reminders of home!
Don’t try to leave everything behind and buy all new stuff for your dorm. It is a waste of money and makes your dorm feel like a foreign place.
You want your dorm to feel like home, not some hotel room in the middle of nowhere
Stay on campus
I don’t mean stay in the perimeters of your college campus, but stay in the area. Hang out with friends, explore nearby cities, anything.
Do what you gotta do to enjoy your college town.
Maybe your college town sucks (I feel you!). That doesn’t mean there aren’t any super cool hidden gems in the area. Go explore!
Staying on campus ensures you can take advantage of all the free giveaways, fun events, and hall parties you may otherwise miss!
Learn how to take care of yourself
Self care is so important! You cannot neglect your well being.
I know it’s much easier to lay in bed all day than it is to fix a healthy meal and run to the gym, but if you don’t take care of yourself, school won’t work out. Your grades will fail, your friends will think you’re flakey, and you will lose all the progress you made by getting involved.
Talk to someone
Getting help is okay, whether it’s from a friend, a professor or even a professional.
Most colleges offer free counseling services to their students. A quick search on your school’s website can point you in the right direction.
College is a time of great adventures. You don’t want to miss out on the fun because you wanted to go home.
If you don’t take control of these feelings soon, they will follow you through college.
Having to go home every weekend because you can’t bear to be away from family longer than a week ruins the college experience.
It’s not worth it, I promise you.