The first few months of college seem like they go by in a flash. You are constantly on the move and there is always something new around the corner. First it’s finding your way around campus, then the classroom, and then in other activities. It seems like the busier your schedule is, the less time you have to think about anything else, especially missing home.
But sooner than later things start slowing down. The football team has a bye and the town has become quiet. It’s your first free weekend and you start thinking of home. You begin to wonder what you would be doing if you were home. What is your family up to? What are you missing?
It’s okay to feel that way. It’s okay to miss home. And you aren’t alone in that feeling. Many college students leave home for the first time to go explore and learn more about themselves. That doesn’t mean you have to forget where you came from.
It is perfectly normal to miss your family and miss your hometown, especially if you’ve gone to college some place entirely different than where you were before. It will take time to get used to the “new world” you’ve been thrust in to. No one expects you to be all smiles and sunshine every minute of every day. You will get sad; you will want to be alone. That is okay.
Being homesick doesn’t make you weak. It doesn’t mean you’re a “baby.” It just means you’re human.
Over time the feeling will become less and less. You won’t get that sinking feeling in your gut every time your think of home. In the meantime, there are many ways you can deal with your homesickness.
1. Make point of calling home a couple times a weak, to keep yourself connected. Sometimes just talking to your family can make you feel better.
2. Make yourself a safe place at your university. Find yourself the perfect spot in the library or out in the quad. Once you’ve found a spot you love it will make you feel more comfortable on campus.
3. Talk to someone. There are many people at your university who will be willing to listen. There are counselors whose job is to make sure you are in the right state of mind. Plus don’t forget that there are other students who are going through the same thing. Talk to each other! It can help you to put your feelings in words.
4. Get out and do something. It’s all right to take a day for yourself to wallow and miss home, but sooner or later you need to take that first step out into the world. Once you are out and about you may meet people and do things that make you feel more involved on campus. That homesickness will not be the only thing on your mind.