Feeling homesick does not mean you are weak. In fact, according to one survey, 69% of first-year college students experience homesickness. It's completely normal, and pretty much expected.
But it's not a great feeling.
People feel homesickness in varying degrees—some hardly feel it at all, and some feel it so badly it can cause depression—but the feelings are essentially the same. You miss the sense of security you had then, especially now that you're on your own and having to figure everything out for yourself. Homesickness can really put a damper on your excitement for this new chapter of life and can make you feel like you're doing something wrong.
So how do you overcome it?
1. Let yourself be sad.
I’m going to tell you something that’s not said enough: you’re allowed to be sad. If you’re missing home, it just means you had it really good growing up, and it’s perfectly okay—and perfectly normal—to be sad that part of your life is over. But just because your life at home with your family and high school friends was great doesn’t mean your new life can’t be great, too. It’s important to let those feelings separate. If you resent yourself for feeling sad in your new environment, you’ll only teach yourself to resent that new environment. You’re allowed to be sad that most of your favorite experiences are memories now, but don’t let yourself miss out on new experiences in the meantime. Someday, these experiences will be memories, too, so let’s make them good ones.
2. Push through.
Sometimes when homesickness gets really bad, you might feel like you’re in the wrong place. You might even hear people tell you, “If you don’t like being at your college, you should go somewhere else." However, feeling like you don’t belong at first is completely normal, and in most cases, it doesn’t last forever. Homesickness is caused by a separation from important parts of our lives like family and friend groups where we play significant roles, and according to research, the best way to prevent homesickness is to already have experienced it—basically, it's like ripping off a band-aid. So, think about why you chose your school, and don't give up on it just yet. Most likely, the feelings you're experiencing will fade with time.
3. Get connected.
A sure way to get over the feeling that you don't belong is to get involved. Signing up for campus organizations, Greek life, clubs, and/or church groups lets you connect yourself to your new environment and create a new sense of security. Because homesickness happens when you're separated from all the relationships and responsibilities at home, a way to overcome it is to create new ones.
4. Keep contact with your family and friends from home.
You moved away to college and went separate ways from most of the people you knew, but that obviously doesn't mean you're out of each other's lives forever. Sure, you're building a new life for yourself at college, but the one you've always known hasn't ended; it's just changed. Keeping up with your family and friends is a good way to remind yourself of this and, of course, to keep from missing them too badly. Just be careful not to get too involved back home that you neglect your life at college and vice versa. It's all about balance.
Homesickness is not fun, but it doesn't last forever. How you handle it is up to you. You can let it consume you, or you can work through it. You can let yourself be sad about leaving life as you knew it behind, but you can also let yourself enjoy building a new life.
