We never stop missing home no matter how old we grow or even if we live a few miles from home. So it is normal to feel homesick even as a college student. The transition from high school to college comes with several responsibilities that may leave one feeling like they need reassurance from family.
Home gives us comfort and the feeling that we are not alone. Thus, stepping into unchartered waters alone can become difficult. Homesickness can interfere with their normal school life and academics for some students, while others can work their way around. Let’s review some top tips to help you overcome homesickness in college.
Article Contents
Keep the Connection Alive
From tight schedules to bulky assignments, it can be hard sometimes to maintain constant communication with people at home. However, you should set aside time to video or audio call your loved ones at home. They might have some words of wisdom and assurance for you.
Additionally, you can use this time to let them know of your frustrations and excitement in the new environment. Sharing sometimes relieves one of the issues burdening them. If you can find time to call, it is still okay too, and send them a message letting them know how you are.
Find Time to Visit
Settling in college can take some time, but it shouldn’t limit you from visiting your loved ones. Staying away from home for a long time is more likely to breed homesickness. If your school is far, you can still schedule a day to make your visit and start saving up for it. Visiting home is essential since you will receive advice and you can share with them your experiences so far in college.
Taking a break from school is also essential to help you relax, and what is a better way to unwind than with family? So if you find time to go home, utilize it because college can get busy, and you may not land another opportunity.
Find Sentimental Decor for Your Room
When heading to college, you can carry some décor or pictures from home to hang in your room. Such sentimental items will give you the feel of home despite the distance. College can be a whirlwind of activities and emotions, and looking at your family picture can help bring back your sanity and give you a reason to work harder.
It is okay to miss your family, but you can still feel their presence if you have something to remind you of them. You can also carry your blankets from home and use them for your school bed to give you the feeling of your bedroom at home. Transferring such moments will go a long way in dealing with homesickness.
Allow Yourself to Go Through Emotions
Suppressing feelings of homesickness by spending hours online checking sites like Grademiners will only worsen the condition, and one can easily slip into depression without knowing. Therefore, you should acknowledge your emotions and allow yourself to endure such moments.
It’s okay to be vulnerable, but we should not dwell on this vulnerability. Acknowledging your emotions does not mean you are weak; it’s a sign of strength. However, don’t spend the rest of your time in college feeling sad or pitying yourself.
To deal with such emotions, you can find activities you do as a family at home and do them alone or even prepare a meal you love eating. Finding activities that bring you closer to home will work the magic.
Find a Social Circle
Another approach is to create your own small family away from home. You can find friends with similar interests and form an intimate group where people can share their frustrations and achievements in and out of school. Finding a social circle will give you a sense of belonging, and you can rely on them for emotional and academic support.
Having friends around you will also serve as good destruction so you do not keep thinking of home. Of course, an excellent social circle will not wholly erase homesickness, but at least you will have some people in your corner when you are overwhelmed with emotions.
Participate In Different Clubs
Staying in your room alone can make homesickness feel even worse. Therefore, you need to step out and mingle with others. Joining clubs will help you pass the time and make new connections. On the first week of college, ensure you inquire about the type of clubs available in school and find one that aligns with your passion.
Doing things you love can sometimes be therapeutic. So if you love drawing, you can join the art club, and if singing is your forte, you can look for a music group. You will realize that time flies when you are busy.
Seek Therapy
Healing from homesickness is a gradual process, and you must take it slowly as you ease into your new normal. However, for some people, it can be severe and may affect their productivity in school. For example, some students find it hard to handle assignments and are forced to hire a paper writer.
Institutions often have an in-house counselor to help students cope, so do to shy away from getting help. A student’s mental health should come first. Ignoring your emotions will make the situation worse. A counselor will help you find positivity in your new environment as you ease into the new schedule.
Final Take
It is okay to miss home; however, there are ways to overcome these feelings to ensure your stay in college is not affected by homesickness. Joining college can be thrilling, but the transition may be easy. However, it’s hard to find the sense of belonging that home gives us elsewhere; thus, we only have to try and recreate home wherever we go.
You can recreate home by finding friends and doing activities that remind you of home. Sometimes we may feel like we are drifting from our family, but joining college is inevitable, and you have to find a way to work around feelings of homesickness.