Missing home? Here are our top tips to help you battle homesickness in Liverpool

Moving away from home is difficult, especially moving to a brand new city where you don’t know a lot of people. Even though in Freshers’ Week you’re out every night with people getting drunk and having fun, once that is done and dusted, reality can kick in.

University can get very lonely for a lot of people. I can’t even count the number of times in first year I wanted to jump on a plane and go back to Ireland, but I’m now a full time Liverpool girlie at my core and couldn’t imagine myself anywhere else.

Most people will have the urge to jump on the next train back during any minor inconvenience just for a cuddle with their dog and some home cooked comfort meals. The haze of consuming multiple Hatch Batches every week eventually wears off, and you realise that there’s a lot more to university life than waiting for a reading week to roll around. So, here’s a few ways for you to battle that homesickness, so you’re not stuck going home every weekend.

Go for a walk with your flatmates

Going for walks with my friends in that first semester was my saving grace in first year, especially the Albert Dock. Being stuck in your boxy room in your accommodation on your own isn’t going to help your homesickness – you might end up feeling blue and start overthinking, and nobody wants to miss out on anything while they’re at uni. Why not go get some fresh air and clear your mind?

Keeping yourself busy is key

Most Read

Exposed: The six MAFS UK 2024 cast members who already have new partners since the show

Another MAFS UK 2024 groom has posted a new girlfriend since the show and I can’t keep up

The Love Is Blind cast members who have turned to OnlyFans after failing in the pods

I hate to break it to you, but to battle this homesickness, you are going to have to keep busy, which also means going to your lectures. I’m not saying you have to keep up your academic weapon status, or have to attend every 9am (who does that) but at least try. Think of it this way – you’re going through the shift from five days worth of timetabled A-Level lessons to potentially ten hours of contact teaching a week – if you’re lucky. You can do it! Having a schedule will help you feel less homesick because you’ll simply be too busy with deadlines to even think about heading home.

Taking part in more wholesome activities

Look, we’ve all been through the trenches of staying out until 4am, waking up the next afternoon with crippling hangxiety, and wanting nothing more in the world than to be on a train back home. Don’t be afraid to ask your friends and flatmates to try out some wholesome evening activities instead! Why not take advantage and go do an activity that actually doesn’t involve drinking, like a craft night? Even better if you can go somewhere that offers a student discount, obviously. You could give Junkyard Golf a visit, where you can get a game of golf for £6 each during the week for a cute bonding activity, or Lane 7 for some intensely competitive bowling.

Turn your room into your safe space

You will not believe what a pack of fairy lights or LEDs will do to your room. You need that feeling of coziness in your space, especially in that first year when you’re settling into a new place and trying to make it your home. You would be surprised how far an order of FreePrints, a cosy rug and some thrifted trinkets can go to turn your sanctuary around. If you’re feeling brave, you can take yourself down to the sensory nightmare that is Liverpool ONE Primark to pick up a few fake plants to stick in your bathroom – feng shui and all that jazz.

Joining a society

Why not take up a new hobby to battle this home sickness? Whether it’s a sport or something you’ve never done before, it will give you the opportunity to try something new, make some more friends and have something to do a evening in the week instead of rotting in your bed with a pile of sweet treats. The combination of Sunday scaries and missing home is enough to wipe out even the strongest of soldiers, so give yourself a midweek activity to look forward to, just in case.

Getting a part-time job

If you can break the infamous curse when it comes to finding a student job in Liverpool, then you’re already a winner in my eyes. I mean, we don’t have SKINT Tuesdays for no reason – picking up some part-time work whilst you’re at uni is not only a blessing to your overdraft, but also to your social life. You’ll be busy on your days off, which is a huge bonus when you’re feeling a touch of homesickness, and you can fund all sorts of wholesome (and non-wholesome) activities while you’re here.

Having a chat with your friends

As the CEO of wanting to go home every other weekend, I can confirm that everyone is in the exact same boat as you when it comes to feeling lonely and homesick at university – as much as everyone loves Liverpool, it’s worth having a chat with your friends and flatmates when you’re feeling down. A problem shared is a problem halved x

Don’t take our tips for granted, because everyone goes through the ups and downs of feeling homesick, especially in their first years at university. Liverpool will welcome you with open arms when you arrive here – and there’s so much to do to take your mind off things.