Homesickness is something that many college students experience; it’s perfectly normal to miss your family, your pets, and the environment in which you grew up. I know this more than anyone, seeing as I go to a school approximately 900 miles away from my hometown. Even though I’ve learned how to dispel my homesickness since the beginning of the school year, I still feel it from time to time. Here are a few of the methods I use when I feel especially down.

Exercise

Exercising was a lifesaver for me at the beginning of the year. Even though it’s difficult to motivate myself, after a run I’m in a fantastic mood and am much less likely to call home. I have more energy as well, so I feel up to making plans and stepping out of my comfort zone.

Taking a Break from Social Media

Social media is a fantastic way to keep in touch with people from home, but it can also be somewhat dangerous for social life on campus. If you spend too much time catching up with people from home, it’s difficult to make new friends at school. It also leads to wishing you were at home instead of at college.

Getting Involved Around Campus

It’s a bit late in the year to be saying this, but finding a group on campus, whether it’s a club, choir, or something else, is extremely helpful to establishing yourself on campus and taking your mind off the fact that you don’t see your high school friends every day anymore. Groups reduce homesickness by keeping a student busy and distracted while giving them something to look forward to.

Making a Habit of Turning off Your Phone

I’ve already touched on social media, but turning off your phone completely every once in a while is also a helpful way to dispel homesickness. Texting and calling people from home constantly is just as harmful as stalking them on Facebook, because it keeps you from meeting new people and making new friends.

These tips won’t completely get rid of homesickness, but they helped me greatly, especially during my first semester of college. I’ll always love my hometown, but I love my school too, and sometimes I need to use these methods to remind myself of that fact.