I spent the better part of my upperclassmen school years wishing to be anywhere but Glen Arm, Maryland, vowing that I’d pack up and leave as soon as I graduated high school. It wasn’t that I hated my high school or disliked home; just the opposite, in fact. However, I’d lived in the same place my entire life and was ready for adventure. Always on the go, I wanted more than I thought I could get from my town outside of Baltimore. So, I packed up and moved almost 1,000 miles away to Florida to begin my college career at the University of Tampa. I was going, going, gone.
When the homesickness began to creep in, I was more than surprised. I had never been one to feel anxiety over the unknown or shy away from it. I had always been a jump-on-head, head-first kind of girl when it came to those things. But, I slowly found myself missing the way my house smelled on Sunday mornings when my dad cooked french toast for me and my siblings, the way my house was constantly filled with noise from my brothers, the green grass of the farms I passed on my way to school in the morning; the twisty road I took to my best friend’s house. I convinced myself that I had to be fine. I convinced myself that I had to bottle down deep my longing to be back where I wanted to leave so badly in the first place.
Let me be the first to give you this advice – don’t let this feeling fester. Homesickness is completely normal; it isn’t wrong, and it doesn’t mean you’re weak. Not acknowledging your feelings is probably one of the worst things you can do in this situation or any. You can learn a lot about yourself when you can introspect. Even if you felt like you were ready to leave, entering into a completely different environment is scary, and it’s okay to be anxious and miss what you’re comfortable with.
It can also be extremely difficult to navigate these feelings for the first time on your own. Combating homesickness looks different for everyone, but even though it may sound contradictory, I believe calling your parents, siblings, home friends, or whoever it may be can help you feel a little less alone. Even if it’s not for long, hearing their voice is like getting a slice of home away from home. Another tactic is to take a part of your day to surround yourself with something that may remind you of home. I moved from a more rural area to the city. Getting myself out of the city, even just for a little helps cure a tiny piece of my homesickness. As obvious as this last tactic may seem, I have to say: GO HOME. I know it’s easier said than done as there could be a million factors why this is not necessarily feasible. Nonetheless, if you have the means, I truly believe visiting home is good for the soul.
My first time home from college was Thanksgiving Break. I had been in school since August, and by late November, I was getting really homesick. Despite this, I weighed the merits of staying until the semester ended in December. I thought that if I went home, I wouldn’t want to leave again or that it would make everything worse when I went back for the final stretch until winter break. Yet, I found that going home made me cherish each moment in both my childhood home and my new one at college even more.
Navigating college life far from home isn’t easy. But I hope these little tips can ease the hurt just a little bit. Take it from me, homesickness advice from a girl who “doesn’t” get homesick, you are goingokayo be ok; just take it one day at a time.