Missing Home? How to Feel Less Homesick This Fall

As we approach the holidays, it is easy to become overwhelmed with nostalgia and homesickness.

The CollegeData.com 2023 Transition to College Survey found that 69% of students experience feeling homesick their first college term.

So, how can we combat these conflicting feelings during the holidays?

To start, make sure you’re a part of clubs and organizations, especially as a freshman. Clubs allow you to meet students like yourself. A lot of them hold socials and events  like pumpkin paintings, fall movie nights, going to a pumpkin patch, friendsgivings, winter formals and more, which can be great for meeting new people with similar interests. 

Even if you are not already an active member in a club, many of them allow members to join during the semester, so don’t feel like it’s too late. And don’t let it discourage you from showing up and making some of your happiest memories. 

More often than not, students find themselves overwhelmingly busy with schoolwork and stress. Then, Halloween arrives and we wonder why we didn’t do anything seasonal. Then, Thanksgiving arrives and we wonder the exact same thing: Where did the time go?

Having these cute seasonal events planned with your clubs makes it uncomplicated. There is less stress for you to plan an event yourself, and you can just show up and be guaranteed to have some fun.

Now, if you did want to plan an event yourself to give you and your friends something to look forward to this fall, Friendsgiving is always a staple. 

Friendsgiving is a Thanksgiving-themed meal celebrated with friends, usually before Thanksgiving Day. 

You can put your own traditional twists on this, but some fun ideas to incorporate might be carving pumpkins, doing a Thanksgiving potluck, where everyone attending brings a different Thanksgiving food, painting a cute banner to take pictures in front of or putting a fall movie on in the background.

Now, we know that these events are great and all, but it’s still not home, and these feelings can be difficult to face. So, to feel at ease, call a family member or hometown friend and do something fun over the phone. 

You can do a bake-along. Pick your favorite holiday recipe – pumpkin bread’s always a good choice – and bake simultaneously. You can show each other your progress and final products. Another way to feel connected is to watch a movie together. There are online extensions that allow you to do this; Teleparty allows users to watch television shows or movies with their friends or family remotely. 

There are lots of ways to stay cheerful, despite being away from home. Don’t let distance bring you down and make some fun memories this holiday season. 

• fall
• family
• friends
• Friendsgiving
• holidays
• home
• homesick
• lonely
• nostalgia
• seasonal
• thanksgiving