Freshman year of college is a time of transition filled with new experiences. If there is one thing that surprised me most about my freshman year, it’s that I got homesick! While a completely normal part of attending college, I thought I would be immune to missing home. Perhaps I should have expected it; I chose to study on an island, while my friends and family range from a six to twelve hour flight away. Living in Hawaii was fun from the beginning, but after a month of starting college life, I began to feel lonely, missing my friends and family. I was living in Hawaii, so why on earth was I feeling so sad? The truth is, moving away from home and living on your own for the first time is a process that can feel a little like a heartbreak. With coronavirus causing most activities to pause and shifting classes online, it’s even harder to meet people, increasing that feeling of isolation. If homesickness has been ruling your days lately, try out the tips that helped me to embrace college life and miss home a little less.
- FaceTime friends and family (but not too much)
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This one might seem a little obvious, but FaceTiming friends and family is a great way to keep in touch and bring home to you. Catching up with my best friend, sibling, and parents was a lot more meaningful face to face as opposed to a phone call or text. However, don’t call home so much that you miss out from meeting new people and visiting new places!
- Join a club
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Joining a club is a great way to meet like-minded people and get involved around campus. There’s such a wide variety of organizations to get involved with, so there’s something for everyone. Joining clubs kept me active, got me out of my dorm, and gave me the opportunity to meet some great friends, too!
- Head to the gym
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Exercising is another great way to keep your spirits up if you’re feeling down. Work out on your own to get endorphins pumping, or check if any workout classes are offered at the gym throughout the week. I always tried to attend a workout class a couple times a week as a freshman, which kept me feeling healthy, boosted my mental health, and was a fun way to meet people too.
- Spend time with yourself
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If there is one lesson I learned from my first year of college, it’s that you can’t be afraid to experience life on your own. I’m definitely an introvert by nature, so my first couple months of college were spent with just a couple of friends. Mostly, though, I spent a lot of my time by myself, going out of my comfort zone to explore the island on my own. Of course, always be safe when traveling by yourself!
- Take a social media break
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A big help for me to get over homesickness was deleting social media. Seeing constant highlight reels from friends and family can make you miss home even more. A little social media break can do wonders to reset your mental health and stay present in the now. Use time spent scrolling to explore campus, hang with a new friend, or indulge in your favorite hobby.
- Reach out
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If you still feel your homesickness isn’t resolving, don’t hesitate to reach out to campus counseling services. They can offer helpful resources to combat homesickness when it starts to affect your mental health. College is a big adjustment; there’s no need to go through it alone.
Hopefully with these tips, some of your homesickness will be alleviated! Going to college far from home is such an impactful decision. For me, choosing to study in a new environment thousands of miles away from my hometown allowed me to grow and venture further out of my comfort zone than I ever had before. Most of all, it taught me a lot about myself and the importance of a support system. Don’t be afraid to try new things and talk to new people in class or at the dorms. Chances are, they’re feeling homesick and looking for friends, too. I promise college life will feel like home in no time.