You're away from home, maybe for the first time, and you’re ready for a change of scenery. But no matter how tired you were of your home, there are some things you undoubtedly miss. Maybe you miss those home-cooked meals, or the way your room was organized just the way you like it, or just the fact that you could crash on the couch whenever you didn’t feel good, and your mom would make you chicken noodle soup just the way you like it. Yes, there are things you miss. There are days in college when your stress levels will go through the roof, when it seems like you’ll never reach your goals, when it seems like there’s no one here for you and you just want to go home. But you can’t just run home every time things get tough, which brings us to some ways you can combat homesickness.
Phone Home
Granted, this isn’t always the way to go. If you call your parents in tears they won’t always know how to comfort you over the phone. But you should give your parents a call and there’s no reason to act strong to your parents. Try to make it a daily or weekly, and just talk. Personally, I don’t call my mom when I’m in tears, I call my sister because she’s the only one who can make me laugh when I’m crying. But I do call my mom at least once a week to see how she’s doing and let her know how I’m doing. When you establish a line of connection it will automatically combat any feelings of isolation, and you can begin to plan a trip home if you really need to.
Welcome Your New Family Into Your Life
A good social life can save you some tears. All of us in our own friend circles have had at least one conversation where we realized that in a traditional family we all have our roles to play. Who among your friends is the mom? Who’s the weird uncle? Who’s the big brother with the car? It’s important to be around people that can look out for you and it’s important that you look out for your friends.
Consistency
Pack that stuffed animal you’ve had since birth, or that really comfy pillow from your bed, or that photo from last year’s family vacation, or put up a whole bunch of posters on the walls, anything to make your dorm room feel more like home so it’s not so much of a shock.
Comfort Food
Really, the thing I miss most about home is the home cooked meals, but that can be substituted one of two ways.
1. The next closest thing. I found a place that makes chicken alfredo just the way my dad made it which is good for a monthly treat.
2. The consistency of fast food. The Wendy’s in my hometown makes the same hamburgers in the same way as the Wendy’s in my college town. I swear this is why America can’t quit fast food.
These are the things that make me feel better while in school. Just remember that everyone goes through homesickness and you have to go through the bad days to appreciate the good days.
