Moving away from home can be stressful, chaotic and amazing all at the same time. Often, it’s the first few moments of moving away that are all of those things combined, and that’s totally okay. It’s after the move in; when your parents are gone, and maybe your roommates haven’t moved in yet that it’s just you in the residence room or empty apartment that things start to feel different.
And maybe that’s when the emotions really start to hit you, because between the chaos of moving in to a new place, figuring out classes and stressing out over small details that seem so important in the moment; we forget that we’re on our own. For the first time in our lives, we’re on our own.
That’s when it starts to set in, the feeling of missing our parents, our friends back home, our siblings, our family and all the things that remind us of home. Most of us know that feeling, the feeling of being homesick.
As one of the many people who got a case of homesickness, I knew I had to learn how to deal with and not let the homesickness get the best of my university experience. So, I started to develop an always expanding list of “remedies” that I used throughout my first year away from home and continue to use going into my second year away.
Remedy #1: Just Give Them A Call
Being far away from home, I didn’t get to see my parents all that often. That was a big shock for me in the beginning. So, I figured out that calling/texting/video-chatting my parents, grandparents, siblings and aunts at least once a week would help me feel better when I missed them most. Now, I called my parents every single night and we talked about all the events of the day. Of course not everyone can do that, so calling at least once a week can really help make you feel a little bit better about being away from home.
Remedy #2: Go Out With Your Friends
Sometimes just hanging out with your friends whether that be in your dorm room, going out to grab a bite or having a fun night out can help with any sort of emotions you might be feeling. Just getting out and being surrounded by a good group of people can do wonders for your homesickness. When you’re out with your friends you don’t think about missing home as much. And remember it’s okay to not think about home to have a good laugh with your friends. Friends make time away from home that much better.
Remedy #3: Get Some Sun, Go Explore
One thing I learned living in Ottawa was to really enjoy the sunshine that we got during the year. Everyday I’d try my best to get out in the sun at least once. I found that the sun made me feel ten times better than being inside all day and it even helped me focus more on school work. Being in a new city, going out for a walk every day not only gave me a chance to see new things in a new city but also to get the vitamin D that I may have been lacking.
Remedy #4: Find A Hobby, Find Something You Enjoy
Finding a place to be yourself in a new place makes all the difference for your experience in university. Whether that means joining a club (like I did), sports team or just having a hobby on the side; all of those things help to take your mind off missing home. When you find something you enjoy doing, it makes the school year fly by. Having a hobby not only introduces you to new friends, it also keeps you busy and on your toes.
Remedy #5: Stay Positive, Don’t Be Hard On Yourself!
My last and favourite remedy of them all, staying positive. As hard as you might find it in the beginning to be happy all the time, the key to not letting the homesickness get to you is staying positive and on track. That might mean reading daily inspirational quotes, reciting positive mantras or just thinking positive. When you think positive thoughts, you completely change the outcome of how your day will go.
I know homesickness might feel like it’s never going to end, but it does. Missing home is normal and totally natural. And some days might be harder than others, take every day as it comes. Finding ways to make a faraway town or a new city more home-like can make all the difference in your university experience. It’s going to be A-okay (because the Rock said so XD); you’ve got this.