How to cope with homesickness

Homesickness is something that everyone deals with in college. It is a universal feeling that almost all college students deal with and go through during their freshman year. If you are a freshman, don’t worry, it gets so much better with time. You find your best friends, get into a routine, and your school starts to feel like home. Although I do get homesick occasionally, there are some things I do that help me cope.

FaceTime is the best thing ever. Being able to FaceTime my friends and family and actually be able to see them when I speak to them was such a help during freshman year. I still use FaceTime every day to call my friends and family and it helps me stay connected with them even if we are hundreds of miles apart.

When you get waves of homesickness, it is okay to talk to your friends about it. Everyone is in the same boat you are, and your friends might have advice on how to deal with it. Talking to your friends will also give you a distraction for a little bit and may take your mind off things. Finding distractions when you are missing home is a huge help and can alleviate some of the sadness. Going on a drive with your friends, listening to music, and even doing homework can help during those times. If you are laying around doing nothing, it can make you miss home more, so whenever you feel like those homesick feelings are coming, try to find something to do to occupy your time.

The hardest part of being away from home for me personally, is not being with my dog, Sadie. I can speak to my parents whenever I want but not being able to pet or cuddle my dog is hard

sometimes. Having pictures of her sent to me is a huge help but nothing beats going home to her. As silly as it may sound, I also miss driving the backroads at home. I love going on drives and I have a certain route I take at home so being at school makes me miss that. Once I was able to bring my car to school, I found a new route that reminds me of my drives back home. I also have cousins who are young and not being able to see them is hard.

Every time I see them, they get bigger and bigger and not being able to watch them grow can be sad, but that’s what FaceTime is for! I know adjusting to a new life without your hometown friends and family can be hard, but there are always ways to help deal with it!

Another thing that can make you feel close to home is hanging pictures in your room or dorm of all the people you love from home. If you are ever feeling sad, you can look at the pictures which can make you feel better.

This is something that I did freshman year and it always made me so to see all my friends and family hanging on my wall.

The feeling of homesickness still comes every once in a while, but you get used to being away. Being homesick is temporary and it does get better. Try to remember that time away from home allows you to grow as a person and become more independent.