I don't care what anyone says, homesickness is real. It is a terrible illness that wreaks havoc in your life and settles comfortably within your brain and does not go away easily. Through the mornings and nights you reminisce about home-cooked meals and sleeping in your own bed. Your parents bickering, sibling squabbles, and the unconditional love of your pets is the only cure to this ailment.

Everyone has something about their hometown that cannot be duplicated at college that brings immediate comfort and joy. Growing up on Long Island, the things I miss most while away at school are driving everywhere and the “Lawng Island” accents. Also, of course, my family, friends and dog. Homesickness is incredibly painful to suffer through, but can so easily be remedied with a quick trip back to the old stomping ground. Here are a few tricks to help ease your homesickness, though, in case traveling home for a weekend is not in the cards:

• Video Chat: Skype and Oovoo are easily some of the best inventions for dealing with homesickness. Personally, I use Skype all of the time to catch up with my best friends from home. Whether they have chosen to stay home or go away, video calling will help you stay in touch with your oldest and most dear friends. Sometimes just seeing a friendly and familiar face for a little while is enough to cheer you up.
  
• Long Phone Calls: On more than one occasion, I have called my family and friends for a quick chat to discover “quick” actually means two hours. These conversations can be fun and relaxed or emotional and deep. Depending on your current mood, both can be incredibly helpful. Find a quiet spot on campus, whether it is in your dorm room or on a private place outside, and phone calls can be a quick fix to homesickness. Of course, actually being with the person face-to-face is the best option. However, when that is not an option a phone call always does the trick.
  
• Pictures: Something I did before returning to college was buying each of my closest friends a group picture in a frame of our group. Buying yourself a picture frame and placing your favorite photo inside to have on your desk is incredibly comforting. I love to wake up in the morning and reminisce about the fun times I had over the summer with my friends. Use recommendation and take a really cute picture with your best friends and let it live forever in a frame. It is personal, heartfelt, and captures a special moment.
  
• Visits: Although it might not be an option for you, your friends and family just might have enough free time to visit you at school. Depending on how far from home you are, a day trip up to campus might be enough to make you feel better. If you cannot take yourself home than maybe it is enough to bring home to you. Taking a day or a weekend to visit a person that you care about can go a long way. Consider it the next time you have a lot of free time and no other way to spend it!