Your guide to curing homesickness
Because we all miss home a little, whether we admit it or not.
Here you are, two months in to your freshman year at college, and you realize you really miss home. It is funny really, considering how a case of homesickness can hit you so quickly no matter how ready you felt before move in day to step away from your hometown and your parents to start a life that was completely your own. I was that girl who thought she would not miss home at all, the girl who was nothing but eager to start a new life for herself in college. Except now, I must admit to myself that I miss home a bit. And I know some of you must be feeling the same way, whether you would like to admit it to yourself or not. If you find yourself suffering from your first case of homesickness, here are some ways to get yourself out of the dumps and back to enjoying everything college has to offer.
Get involved
Nothing like watching SU beat Colgate! Go Orange!
This has to be one of the easiest ways to combat your case of homesickness. Getting involved in one or two of over 100 SU clubs and extracurricular activities is a sure way to distract yourself from missing home too much. You can honestly join anything you want, from Greek life, to leadership, to an intramural soccer team. On top of that, there’s always a game or event going on in the Dome and Marshall Street is always there to give you and your friends a place to pig out for lunch (or for the whole day, not judgment here!) On campus, the possibilities and fun things to do are truly endless.
Talk to/meet new people
Here’s a pic from Girl’s Night Out w/ my friends Julia & Jaime.
Yes, I am sure this one seems like a no-brainer but having new friends and new people to share your experiences at college with are so important when it comes to building a life for yourself on campus. Of course, you miss your old friends, but that does not mean you cannot go on new adventures with different people. I try to tell myself to talk to someone new at least once a day. In doing so, you open yourself up to meeting tons of equally different and interesting people, all of which can play a role in your life, whether they become your study buddies for BIO 121 or your true BFFs.
Create your own space
My own room, with personalized artwork and decor to fit my sense of style
Let’s face it, dorm rooms are boring and depressing. From the plain walls to the lack of lighting and cute furniture, it’s easy to feel trapped and disappointed with a space that is not your own. Instead, vow to make your room a space that you love and space that is completely ~you~. By filling your dorm with cute polaroids pics of your and your BFFs, a fuzzy blanket, your childhood stuffed animal that you swear you don’t know how it ended up in your dorm room, and a touch of your personal style, your dorm room will become a space you will want to hang out in. After a long day of classes, there’s nothing more comforting than to come back to a space that feels a tiny bit like home.
Call your family
These are some of the people that mean the most to me! Call the people in your life that you seriously cannot live without.
Seriously, call your family. They miss you, probably even more than you could possibly miss them. Tell them what you have been doing on campus, what you are involved in and make sure to let them know you got an A on your first college paper EVER! Just talking with them about the little things, simple things, will make you smile and will easily make your day better.
FaceTime your pet
This is Sir Lancelot. He’s not a fan of talking on the phone but it does make me feel better every time I see his face!
Everyone told me that I would miss my pets the most while I’m away at school. Turns out, they were right. You don’t really realize it right away but eventually, you will begin to miss your dog drooling on you (even though you hated it before) or your cat waking you up at 3 AM. FaceTime them. Don’t laugh! Being able to talk to them, even though they cannot talk back (If they can, there’s something very wrong) is very comforting.
Although homesickness can make you feel completely isolated on campus, understand that this is not the case. These feelings you are feeling are completely and 100% normal and healthy. Instead of letting these feelings bring you down, harness them and use them to motivate you to try something new or make a new friend. There are too many amazing adventures ahead in your college career so you definitely cannot let a case of missing home get you down.