13 Effective Strategies to Overcoming Homesickness in College: A Comprehensive Guide for College Students
Introduction
Homesickness is an extremely common experience for many college students (including those in the surrounding local colleges of University of South Florida, University of Tampa, and Eckerd College), especially those who are living away from home for the first time. This emotional distress is characterized by feelings of longing and sadness due to being separated from familiar environments, family, and friends. While it can be challenging, understanding homesickness and learning strategies to cope with it can help college students adjust to their new surroundings and thrive academically, emotionally, and socially. This guide will explore the nature of homesickness, its causes, and effective ways to manage it.
Understanding Homesickness
What is Homesickness?
Homesickness is anxiety or distress that occurs when a person is away from home or other familiar surroundings. It is very common for this to happen when adjusting to college and results from change and the uncertainty that comes with being in a new environment. Symptoms can include feelings of sadness, loneliness, anxiety, and a longing for home.
Causes of Homesickness
Being Separated From What is Familiar: Moving to a new place means leaving behind home, family, and friends. Being away from familiar routines and support systems can lead to feelings of homesickness.
New Responsibilities: College life often comes with increased and different responsibilities, such as managing finances, having work study jobs, cooking, and cleaning a dorm room, which can be overwhelming and lead to feelings of homesickness.
Increased Academic Pressure: The academic demands of college can be stressful, and the pressure to perform well can increase feelings of homesickness.
Social Adjustment: Building new friendships and adjusting to a different social environment can be challenging, leading to feelings of isolation and homesickness. It can challenging to create an entirely new friend group especially if you spent years with the same people from Kindergarten through Senior Year.
Strategies to Cope with Homesickness
1. Stay Connected with Home
Maintaining regular contact with family and friends can provide emotional support and reduce feelings of homesickness.
Scheduled Calls: Set up regular times to call or FaceTime with family and friends. It can be really helpful and comforting to see your parents, dog, siblings, and other family pets.
Letters and Care Packages: Sending and receiving letters or care packages can create a tangible connection to home and increase comfort. Consider writing letters to friends as well.
2. Create a Comfortable Living Space
Making your dorm or apartment feel like home can alleviate homesickness.
Personalize Your Space: Decorate your room with photos, posters, and items that remind you of home. This can make your new space feel more familiar and safe.
Establish Routines: Create daily or weekly routines and this can provide a sense of stability at school.
3. Get Involved on Campus
Look for a campus activities fair that typically happens at the beginning of each year. This is crucial for being able to meet new friends, create a support network, and feel connected to your college.
Join Clubs and Organizations: Whether it is Pickleball, Ultimate Frisbee, Painting, or Big Brothers Big Sisters, there are a plethora of clubs, sports, and other activities to join. College is a fantastic time to try something new and make new friends doing so.
Attend Campus Events: Follow the campus event calendar and try to go to lectures, concerts, and other events to become more involved on campus.
4. Take Care of Your Physical Health
Physical health is closely linked to overall well-being and happiness, so it's important to prioritize healthy habits. This includes exercising, eating well, and sleeping well.
Exercise: Physical activity can reduce stress and improve mood. Find a form of exercise you enjoy, whether it's Ultimate Frisbee, yoga, or taking walks.
Eat Well: Having access to an on-campus dining hall can be both exciting and intimidating, especially if it’s an all you can eat situation. Try to vary your meals and maintain a balanced diet.
Sleep Well: It’s extremely common for college and university students to have tricky sleep schedules. Try to make sure you get enough sleep each night. Doing so can significantly impact your mood and ability to cope with stress, and allow you to handle any homesickness that comes your way.
5. Practice Mindfulness and Meditation
Mindfulness and meditation can help manage stress and anxiety that often comes along with homesickness.
Meditation Apps: Use apps like Headspace, Insight Timer, or Calm to guide you through meditation sessions.
Mindful Breathing: Practice deep breathing exercises to stay grounded and present.
Progressive Muscle Relaxation: Practice tensing and relaxing every area of your body, for instance, holding your fist tight for 7 seconds and then releasing it for 7 seconds. This will increase feelings of relaxation all over your body.
Grounding; Focus on identifying 5 things you see in your space, 4 things you hear, 3 things you feel, 2 things you smell, and 1 thing you taste. This will increase your ability to stay present.
6. Explore the Local Community
If you’re in a new area for school, there is definitely an entire new community out there to get to know outside of the university. This can make your new place feel more like home. Look up the top local attractions, including museums, shows, and parks. Then look up fun off-campus restaurants and coffee shops.
7. Start a Journal
Writing can be a helpful way to process your feelings and experiences and combat homesickness. There is no right way to journal. Some people like to journal to reflect on their thoughts and process through experiences. Other people utilize journals to maintain a gratitude journal, where one writes down 3 three things they are grateful for each day.
8. Make Your Dorm Room / Study Space Cozy
Increasing feelings of coziness in your dorm room can both help you feel more at home and can decrease feelings of homesickness. Add lots of photos or personal touches to your walls and try to keep the area organized. This will help both you and your new roommate.
9. Find a New Passion
College and University is the ideal time to learn a new skill. If you have ever wanted to learn something new, this is the best time to do it. There is probably a club that already exists and if not, it is usually not hard to create your own club or organization and receive funding from the university to do so.
10. Consider Volunteering
There are typically many campus volunteer opportunities and local charities. Helping at these places can not only increase a sense of fulfillment but can also allow you to meet new people and make a difference in your new community. Helping others can provide a sense of fulfillment and community.
11. Create a Routine
It can be tough to be living on your own for the first time. Try to establish a new routine as quickly as possible and stick with it. This will provide structure and stability. If you can, try to wake up, eat, and go to bed at similar times. Try to keep track of all of your activities on some type of calendar and make sure you’re building in time for yourself.
12. Increase Independence
Being away at college will increase your independence, and the longer you are there, the more confident you will become at being on your own. Take time to set goals, both short-term and long-term goals for your personal and academic life. If you work towards the goals, that will increase your own sense of purpose and fulfillment. Adding new skills to your repertoire will also help! Whether you are joining a new club, learning how to cook, or learning new time management skills, all of those can make a significant difference in your ability to feel purposeful on campus.
13. Seek Support
Don't be afraid to reach out for help if you're continuing to struggle with homesickness. There are typically many on campus resources that students can utilize free of charge. The counseling center on campus will often provide free time-limited sessions for counseling where you can learn coping strategies and receive professional help. There are often also academic support centers that can provide tutoring, and other wellness programs provided by the campus health center that can also increase both emotional and physical well-being.
Conclusion
In conclusion, homesickness is an extremely natural and common part of the college experience, but it doesn't have to affect you during your entire time away. By understanding the causes of homesickness and implementing the above strategies to manage it, you can adapt to your new environment and make the most of your college experience. Remember that it is normal and okay to miss home and that most people on your floor are probably also dealing with homesickness. It is possible to overcome the homesickness and thrive to your fullest extent!
If you are still needing support around the college & university experience, I can help! I work with college students in Tampa, Pinellas County, Orlando, Gainesville, Miami, and in 40 other states. As a licensed psychologist who specializes in working with young adults and young professionals, I can help you no matter where you are at in your college student experience. Together, we will learn to combat homesickness, cope with academic stressors, create a healthy balance between school and social life, and manage anxiety and depression.
Please schedule a free consult call here.