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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Howard chapter.

After spending almost a month at home or abroad away from the books, returning to campus can bring feelings of homesickness. Of course, I love my freedom and college friends but navigating new classes makes me want to catch the first flight back home! 

Over the past two weeks I’ve found myself going through a range of emotions. I enjoy the hustle and bustle of having things to do, but as soon as I’m idle or something goes wrong, I’ve found myself in tears. If I get a phone call from my family, I am now questioning whether I can handle being thousands of miles away. I started to self-diagnose myself; I felt mildly depressed and a little FOMO (fear of missing out), which I have realized is completely normal. 

Weeks prior, I sat on the couch most of the day with no agenda and let my mind be completely free. I got to see my family members every day, spend time with little cousins and siblings, and had people around that I am comfortable with. Now, having things to do, I am overwhelmed most of the time, constantly trying to navigate without a set schedule and back to being alone. 

Approaching week three, I know that I must do something to shake the feeling of being down and out. This is where I bring in new habits, starting with doing homework whenever I am bored rather than thinking of things that I could be doing at home. I am also starting a new skin care routine,  which may seem very small. However, having something long-term that you can focus on will occupy your mind and make the time go by  faster. Finally, I am creating a new schedule to follow that will help me organize my day to day life. Now with a plan in mind, the next few weeks will simply be a transition instead of something new, and my homesickness will no longer be as prominent. 

    

 

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Deni Dedmon is a sophomore speech-language pathology major from Albany, GA. Her first love was writing but her second love was helping others, which led to her choosing a career in speech pathology. When it comes to her writing, she loves to write about everything, from entertainment (she’s an avid Kehlani fan) to book reviews (she’s been reading since the age of one) to controversial topics and current events (ya know, your average angry black girl things). Being the oldest of five girls, she is also passionate about young black girls, their self-esteem, and making sure that they’re proud of being who they are. At the age of seventeen, she became a contributor for MTV Founders and a spring writer for Affinity Magazine.