If you’re a homebody like me, one of the hardest parts of living at college is the agonizing homesickness that comes from living away from your family. Living in an unfamiliar environment, surrounded by people you don’t know, can feel scary. You miss living at home with your family, where you know how everything works. However, you don’t have to feel this way forever!
There are steps to help ease into the college environment and make yourself feel more at home. It’s not easy— no one ever said that it was! But if you keep at it and push yourself outside of your comfort zone, you’ll be rewarded with a new group of friends and a sense of belonging and community. So if you’re struggling with homesickness, check out my four tips for beating on-campus homesickness.
Don’t worry! There’s hope!
1) Join some Clubs!
In my opinion, if you’re feeling homesick, it helps to distract yourself. And how do you do that, you may ask? Good question! By getting out more and getting more involved in on-campus activities, you’ll have something fun and engaging to keep you busy. You’ll be able to focus on other things instead of how much you miss home. Not only that but joining clubs will also help you form social connections on campus, which brings me to my next point.
2) Make new friends!
Putting yourself out there and making new friends can be scary. Trust me, I know. In the end, though, it really is worth it. It helps you feel less homesick if you feel less alone on campus, it’s good to find a group of people you know can be your support system, and you can find friends who share your interests and your enthusiasm for your interests. It’s just nice to have a shoulder to lean on. In my experience, it’s easier to make friends in the clubs you join because you are able to meet people with at least one common interest to you, and it will give you something to talk about.
3) bring something That reminds you of home!
As much as distracting yourself can help with homesickness, it’s also helpful to bring some special link to home that’ll comfort you when the going gets tough. For example, bring something sentimental like a teddy bear or blanket. Psychology calls this phenomenon “transitional objects”.
4) don’t forget to stay in touch!
The most important thing of all, when it comes to beating your on-campus homesickness, is to stay in touch with your family and friends back home. Sometimes when I’m feeling down, I call my family. It makes me feel better just to hear their voices, get advice about problems I’m going through, or talk about my day. FaceTiming can help with homesickness because you get to see each other’s faces. Or, send each other silly photos! If you’ve got some downtime, don’t hesitate to call your family. They’ll be happy to hear from you!
As you can see, while getting over being homesick can be hard, and it can require you to get out of your comfort zone sometimes, it is most certainly not hopeless. If you put in the work and reach out, even if you feel scared, you will be rewarded with a burgeoning social life, a strong support system, and— best of all —you’ll be able to get over your homesickness and be ready to take on anything that comes your way! So go out there and knock ’em dead! I believe in you! :)
