College is hard and going to a school far away from your family is even harder. Some people cannot wait to get away from their families while others are sobbing as their parents drive away from them. And after your parents are gone and it’s been a week since they left, the homesickness kicks in. You start to feel depressed, lonely, and anxious all the time. What is worse is that you think you are the only one feeling this way. So here are my tips to cure homesickness:
1. Know you are not alone
If I am being truthful, over half of the freshmen class is homesick but no one will admit it out loud. Trust me, and talk to your friends about it, they will sympathize with you and you could work through the homesickness together.
2. Tell your parents
There is NOTHING embarrassing about missing your family. You are in a new setting outside of your comfort zone and it is completely natural, I promise. So, tell your parents about how much you miss them. I know it’s crazy, but they were your age once too and most likely been in your situation. They will either give you their parental advice or work out a schedule to talk to you more often.
3. Meet new people!
This is huge! The reason people are homesick is because they are in a new setting outside of their comfort zone, but by meeting new people you become more comfortable and less likely to miss home.
4. FaceTime your friends
Being far away from friends and family is hard, so talking to your friends who went to a different college will make you feel better. Ask your friend to set up a time each week or every other week just so you two can talk. This will give you something to look forward too if the week is miserable or you can just use it as a time to catch up on each other’s lives.
5. Call/text your mom every day
Or if you are closer to your dad, talk to him in some sort of way every day. It can be as easy as texting them good morning and goodnight or as much as calling them in between classes. This puts some order in your life and gets you your “family fill” so you are not as homesick that day.
6. Go out!
Now you can take this as go out and turn-up or just go out to eat with people on your floor. Just get out of the claustrophobic dorm and get your mind off of your home. As much as you should keep in touch with your family if you are obsessed with calling them you will never cure your homesickness. Now, if you go out, even for those few hours you are shopping, or eating, or watching a movie, you will forget you are homesick.
All I can say is that eventually it goes away. Maybe it doesn’t go away your entire freshmen year, but eventually you will realize you are not depressed, lonely, and longing for home. As a girl who cried a lot of nights freshman year due to homesickness and who texted and called her mom multiple times a day, I can tell you one thing: I am a sophomore now and I am not homesick because of these tips. So call your mom, call your dad, but ENJOY college it can be some of the best years of your life.
