What to Do When You Feel Homesick After Moving Out of Your Parents’ House

You’ve finished college, you’re about to step into the real world, and you’re so thrilled to finally move out of your parents’ house and into your first post-college home. But after settling in, you start to feel lonely and miss your folks. You miss having meals cooked for you, laundry done for you and not having to worry about adulting stuff like rent and taxes. This is common for a lot of us, but there are lots of different ways to deal with homesickness and, eventually, get over it. Here are six things you can try to help you feel more at home. 

1. Learn to accept the fact that you’re away from home

Being homesick happens to the best of us, but we don’t always want to admit it. Acknowledging that you’re homesick and allowing yourself to feel that way is the first step to getting those feelings out. You’re starting to learn how to live a new life on your own for the first time ever, and when you realize your homesickness, you can begin to work on getting over it. It takes a lot of adjusting when moving into a new home, but don’t fret. This is normal.

2. Get used to your new surroundings

When moving into a new home in a new city, you want to get the hang of being in a new area. Explore your new neighborhood and the areas around it! Bridget Anderson, a recent Baylor University graduate, started with the important destinations and branched out from there. “To get to know my city I’ve started off with the main staples…like the main restaurants that are beloved,” she said. “And [I] worked my way out from there. I also looked for chains I recognized, like Target, and then went to places I encountered on the way there like little thrift stores.”

Scoping out the best restaurants, grocery stores, fun hot spots and more is the perfect opportunity for you to clear your head and start to map out the things you’re excited to try, all while having a little adventure. The more you explore and experience your new home, the better the whole experience of living in a new space can be.

3. Make your new space more like “you”

One of the best parts about moving into a new place is that you get to decorate it the way you want it. Whether it’s just your room or an entire apartment/house, you get to create your space and make it your very own. You can look for home decor inspiration on Pinterest or Instagram before you get to shopping, but make sure you know how much space you have in your new home before you start to buy; think about how you want to decorate and figure out a floor plan to get started. Buy new furniture or accent pieces and decorate your new space to your tastes. It’s great to live in a space that you look forward to arriving to every day, and now you have full creative control. For more ideas on how to decorate your space, check out the following links for more inspiration:

Related: 6 Ways to Upgrade Your Apartment on a Budget

4. Stay in touch with family/friends from home

Maintaining your relationships with your family and friends from home is one of the best ways to stay connected to home, plus the more you stay in contact with them, the less you’ll miss them.“I stay in touch with my family almost every day,” Bridget says. “My mom has an empty nest now, so I try to call as much as possible.” Of course you don’t have to talk to them every single day, but I would say you should call your parents, grandparents, aunts/uncles, etc. at least once a week. You also need to keep your friends posted on all of the things you’re up to, especially when you’re no longer living a building away. If you have a big job interview coming up, they’ll want to wish you luck and know how it goes! 

Make plans to meet up with your friends or plan for your parents to come visit. Being away from the people you love for a long time can be tough at first, but once you get used to it, you’ll see that it’s all part of getting used to a new way of living.

5. Meet new people and make new friends

Whether you’re living on your own or you have roommates, it’s a good idea to make new friends in your new city. Once you move into your new home, you’re going to want to meet new people around your area. If you’re starting a new job in your new city, that’s the perfect opportunity to get to know your co-workers and/or business partners. They might eventually become real friends. Meeting new people at a club, work-based gathering or a local event is another way to make new friends, as well. Being open to new people can be hard, at first. But once you approach and start a conversation with someone, it gets easier.

6. Know that everything is going to be okay

Have an understanding that you are out of your parents’ house for a reason. Whatever reason that may be, you were brought to a new home to start a new life of your own.

Stay positive and try to look on the bright side of things, and look forward to what’s yet to come. Living on your own will be something to get used to, but it’ll be one of the best decisions you’ve ever made as an adult.

• her20s
• homesickness
• moving out
• post grad