Moving away from home is one of the most liberating things to do. Not only can you experience a degree of freedom (after spending the majority of your life living with strict parents), but it opens your eyes to so many things. However moving away isn’t all hunky-dory, it can actually feel really scary and lonely.
Ever since I was little, I have always been family-orientated. I remember moving away from my home in Amsterdam and I spent about two months crying and missing all the family I left behind. As I got older I’ve felt less depressed and sad when I go away, but moving to uni was another challenge. Although I don’t live miles away from home, I still feel sad sometimes and miss family and friends. Having spoken to my other friends here at uni has made me realise that I’m not alone in feeling homesick. Although I generally love being at uni, there are times that I really miss my friends and family back home. Along the way I have found some ways to cope on the days that I do feel homesick, so I hope that these things help you too.
Pictures
Before I moved to uni I made sure that I took pictures with all the people that meant something to me so that I could always have a visual memoir of my friends and family. Whenever I look at these pictures I instantly smile as it reminds me about the person. So I would definitely say that having pictures on your wall is a good idea when you’re feeling homesick, plus they make your room look 10 times better!
Talk to them
I love catching up with my family and friends through a simple text message, a call or even on Skype. Just hearing their voices makes me feel really happy and it is nice to just unwind and offload on people you know. I always speak to my mom after a shift and just talk about my day, so I don’t feel homesick as often. So Skype away!
Visit them
But not too often! Not only does it cost money, but visiting your family could do more harm than good. If you’re spending every weekend back home it could mean that you’re not really immersing your whole self in the uni experience, plus it could make you feel even more homesick. To counteract this, I try to go home at least once every six weeks, so I can see my friends and so my mom can cook for me!
Make friends
If you make friends at uni, it could help you feel less lonely. You don’t need tons of friends, just a few people thatyou can trust when you’re feeling down. By spending time with people at uni, you can feel much better. This doesn’t mean that you should completely abandon the people you know back home!
