As a Freshman in college, you are entering into a whole new world around you. The normal life you once knew at home is completely different now. Feeling alone, in a new place, surrounded by so many unfamiliar faces is probably the worst part about this process. It may take time to help you find your place in this new life. There are so many ways to help you through this adjustment period as a freshman that not many people think of right away. This may be by just crying it out, staying super busy, or by communicating with the people you miss.
Three days after moving into college I got sick. I have never been away from home or away from both my parents for a long period of time. The adjustment got hard and it hit me. I would get texts or calls from both my mom and dad and cry my eyes out. I thought I was supposed to be having the best time here. It was hard for me to take it seriously. What I realized was that “it is okay to cry and miss home”. Everyone misses home. How could you not? So I cried it out and I didnt care how long I cried because I just felt like I needed to release all the emotions I was feeling.
Every person I talked to about missing home told me the best way to cope is to stay busy. I could not just stay in my dorm during my free time or I would most definitely start thinking of all the people I missed and cry about it. It comes to a point where you need to find things to do to distract yourself from these feelings. I went to the gym my first week to make sure I was able to get away for just an hour and think about something else other than home.
Another thing that helped through the whole coping process of being away and missing my family and friends was the fact that I had a support system. I talked to so many people to get everything I was feeling off my chest. I called and texted my parents constantly to feel like they were still apart of my life here. This helped so much, to feel like they knew everything and just having their input. I also facetimed my friends from my hometown and talked to them about their experience at all the different schools they are attending. From talking to so many people, I realized I was not going through this alone. So many freshmen are going through the same thing right now so I realized that even though I feel alone, I am not actually alone.
This period of your life may start off with a rough beginning. When you are at your low the only way to go is up from there. The most important thing to do is to try and stay positive. In the end, the first month will be the hardest but the adjustment period is worth it if you stick it out to experience the best next four years of your life.