Most of us are probably going to be staying home next semester. We have been there and done that with Zoom University and can't wish for anything more than to be able to live a normal student life on campus again. Unfortunately, due to the increasing consistency of the COVID-19 virus, many schools will have most of their classes online again and there won't be any on-campus activities. So, what does this leave the many students who are dying to enjoy the campus life again?

Some tips and tricks to dealing with "campus-sickness" (a rendition of feeling home or campus sick) is to play it out at home the way you would on campus. What about campus life stood out to you the most? What are the things you did on campus that you miss doing? And why do you miss doing those things? It all comes down to discovering what about campus life, makes us miss being able to roam the streets of our university.

For me, I personally miss all the fast food that was available on campus. I got to have late-night splurges with friends after coming back from a party late at night. It was a different atmosphere than what I was normally used to. The greasiness of the fat sub sandwiches infiltrated my senses everytime I bit into them. The good thing about my campus that I also miss, is how all the fast food was very conveniently available. I was able to walk down the street if I wanted a falafel sandwich from Mamoun's Falafel.

Another thing that struck a chord in my mind recently, was the close proximity there was between me and my friends at college. Since most of us were living on campus, we were all technically next to each other. If one of us wanted to meet up with another person, we could literally take the bus or even walk, if the campuses are next to each other. This is especially significant, because having close proximity between our friends, allows us to spend more time with them, thus reducing any loneliness or FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) we may feel at the moment, as some of us may be feeling from not being able to spend time with our friends as frequently as we might have used to.

Below are some ways you can avoid FOMO (Fear of Missing Out). They each have their own purpose in making sure you feel included, as well as to remind you that even though you may feel somewhat "friendless", you are technically not even close:

-Create a photobook of all of your memories with your friends: This one rings true for many of us, who may be artistically inclined. You can decorate the photobook however you may like, but make sure to add your favorite pictures of you and your friends together. Remember, a picture is worth a thousand words! After you are finished putting in the photos and decorating it, make sure to show your friends via FaceTime, text message, etc.

-Make some of the foods that you had with your friends on campus (If you can, of course!) over a Zoom session with friends: Food is something that we can all bond over and enjoy with other people. But what happens when there aren't any more "other people" to enjoy food with. That shouldn't be a problem if you can cook some of the food you had with your friends while you were on campus and then eat them while FaceTiming or Zooming them. This makes up for the feeling of missing social interaction using virtual interaction to help or at least subside some of the feelings.

-Play Among Us or an online drawing game with friends: We know it and we've seen it. Among Us has become such a popular game amongst many young adults who have been in quarantine ever since the pandemic has started. It is engaging and brings some nostalgic middle school memories of sitting home and playing video games. Another option is playing a game where one person draws something and the other people try to guess what it is. This helps kill time and can help determine who will be the one decorating the wall for any get-togethers that will happen once quarantine ends.

It may be hard not to feel the fear of missing out, because of quarantine, but it is not completely inevitable. The quarantine calls for us to get creative with ideas to help navigate feelings of loneliness or nostalgia for all the great times we had with our friends. Together, we can fight FOMO…