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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Brown chapter.

For some reason there is a common misconception that homesickness is a childish feeling that we all grow out of after our second or third year of summer camp. Unfortunately, that is not the case. Feeling homesick in college is normal and ubiquitous; everyone has bad days. While there is no miracle cure for this, here are some of my best tips and ideas for a freshmen (or anyone) dealing with homesickness.

 

  1. Book a reservation at a restaurant in downtown Providence. Being on campus can often feel confining and isolating at times, so going into the city for dinner can give you a brief refuge from the redundant cafeteria and Thayer street meals. Also, in the city you are surrounded by families which radiates a certain comforting feeling, even though they are all strangers. While its unrealistic and impractical to do this every day, going to a restaurant once in a while is a good way to escape college for a couple of hours.

  2. Watch a TV show that you always watch at home or with your family. A childhood TV show has the power of transporting you home for a brief moment, and reminding you that you still have access to so many things that were relevant to you growing up. Turning on an old show or movie can help quell the feeling of being cut off from home and remind you of how very few things are inaccessible at college.

  3. Facetime a parent or friend and introduce them to your college friends. By intertwining your two worlds, you eliminate the divide significantly. In addition, by making your college friends familiar with the people from home, it opens up the door to having conversations with your college friends about people from home without it feeling so foreign and removed. 

  4. Exercise. In college, mistreating your body (overeating, drinking, etc) is practically a right of passage. Unfortunately, this lifestyle does have a negative impact on your mental health. To combat that, going to the gym once in a while is an easy way to feel more confident and get those endorphins pumping! It is easy to misconstrue feeling physically unconfident for feeling unhappy in college or in general. 

  5. Book and organize your schedule. It is important that when you wake up in the morning, you know you have established appointments, plans, things to do etc. In college, it’s easy to look at your day and feel like it’s just this blank canvas and it’s your burden to paint it. However, by making sure that you have structured plans and things to do, it will ground you and help you build some level of routine. Likewise, it will add some purpose to your life, and keep you distracted with less time to dwell on the discomfort of being in a new environment. 

I was born and grew up in Los Angeles, California, which had a huge impact on the person I am and the things I care about. I graduated from Brentwood School, and am thrilled to be at Brown! From a young age, writing, fashion, and lifestyle blogging have been some of my strongest passions. Between working for my school newspaper for four years of high school and interning at the lifestyle blog "GOOP," I have really discovered that this is something I am excited about pursuing. Naturally, "her campus" is the perfect platform to extend my interests, and I am excited to explore Brown and share my findings!
Campus Correspondent for Brown University's Chapter