When you first move into college, everything is new and shiny. You feel excited of the new adventures you are going to have. But after sometime, that feeling goes away and you might start feeling homesick; which is that feeling you get when you’re missing home and the people there. I was a former exchange student in Europe (with the amazing organization YFU), and I have dealt with homesickness and gained some tips of how to overcome it. They have helped me a lot during my freshman year and I hope they do the same for you. I separated my tips in two the do’s and the don’ts.
Do’s
- Go to every event you can find. It’s a good way of meeting new people and making new friends
- Join different organizations, you might find a new family. Her Campus is where I met a lot of great ladies that I can count on
- If you are feeling down, go take a walk. Do some activity that will clear your mind, use the gym in your dorm, go to a park, shopping, whatever it helps
- Make a bucket list of new things you want to do in your new city
- Document your happy moments
- Talk about your feelings. All of us feel a little homesick from time to time
Don’ts
- Feel guilty about your new friends, home, life. Don’t feel guilty about anything unless it’s something really bad. People back home feel proud of you, so don’t feel bad if you don’t talk to them as much as you did before.
- Care about gaining weight. But if you gain some weight, who cares? You were making happy memories with your friends while trying new food. That’s what I told myself after gaining 10 kilos during my exchange.
- Over-communicate with your family and friends back home. I know this is one of the hardest ones but shortening the time you talk to family and friends from your hometown, works on your favor. While I was on my exchange, they told us to do skype sessions once a month and it helped me so much. I still do it when I am away from Buenos Aires.
- Be all the time on social media. If all your friends go to the same school or spend a lot of time together, you might feel left out and seeing that everywhere might suck a little. So take a break from your social media and enjoy the moments you have with your new friends.
- Stay all day by yourself in your dorm. Go out, breathe some fresh air (is that possible in NYC?) make new friends, do something. Don’t dwell in the negative feelings.
Homesickness is an overall horrible feeling that sometimes you don’t even know it’s there. You might feel tires, cried out of nothing and it all happens because you miss home. I hope my tips will help you. Always know that there are people that are feeling the same as you and there are resources on campus to help you during difficult time as the counseling center.