How to deal with homesickness at uni
Homesickness is a common side effect of living away from home for university. It can hit at any point - from the moment you part ways with your loved ones and find yourself alone in an unfamiliar room, to after a heavy and hungover freshers week, or even months later, perhaps around the holidays or exam season.
The point is, if you're a student, you're likely to experience homesickness of some kind whilst at uni. According to a study by the Guardian, around 75% of students do. So one thing to remember is that you're not alone!
We've put together some tips for dealing with homesickness at uni, so if you're struggling this read on...
Keep in touch with loved ones
With virtual learning still very much a thing, students are more likely to spend hours locked away in their rooms with limited social interaction – triggering feelings of isolation and anxiety. Keeping regular contact with friends and family back home is now more important than ever. Call your friends, relatives and the people you care about. Even if you're not always able to physically meet, modern technology means you can get pretty close to it! Arrange a Facetime with friends, stick on a movie or cook dinner together – there are lots of ways to stay connected if you’re fed up of having a 10-minute phone call.
Reinvent home comforts
According to surveys, the thing we miss the most when away from home is our beds. Luckily for you, true student beds are the perfect bed to cheat on your home bed with. They are guaranteed to offer the snugness and comfort of all home beds because they were picked out by none other than true students themselves! Other than our beds and loved ones, when we miss home, it’s often the little things we do that we really miss. Habits, traditions, routines – that sort of thing. Fortunately, these things can often be recreated wherever you are. For example, by cooking your favourite home meals, watching old TV shows or using familiar fragrances and fabric softeners. You can even use apps like Borrow my doggy or Pawshake to ease the pain of missing your furry friend.
Establish a self-care routine
Self-care is not an expense, it's a necessity! The concept is all about prioritising your mental and physical wellbeing. When feeling homesick, it’s easy to want to curl up in a ball and do nothing. If you take it day by day and do small things which help lift your mood for a little while, you’ll end up noticing a big difference. Here are some simple but effective self-care suggestions to help take your mind off homesickness:
- Read a new book
- Draw, paint or colour in
- Cook your favourite meal
- Put on a face mask
- Write a journal
- Turn your dreams to goals with a vision board
- Go for a walk outside
- Exercise – yoga, meditation, running, HIIT etc
- Tidy your room
You can’t pour from an empty cup, so take care of yourself first!
Choose real life over social media
There’s no better way to bring on a fresh bout of homesickness than by scrolling through social media and seeing people at home looking happier than Larry! Try not to spend hours doing this, because quite frankly, it’s self-sabotage. Be sure to remind yourself that social media is a highlight reel, showing the snippets of people’s lives that they want to record. Often, the people around you are fighting their own private battles. You’re not alone in feeling homesick. If you strike up a real-life conversation with someone in your building, you’re likely to find they’ve experienced the very same feelings as you at one point. They may even offer some advice or consolation, which will have you feeling instantly better (or at least distracted for a moment!)
Plan visits or visitors
A great way to distract yourself and pass the time when you’re feeling homesick, is to plan visits home or arrange for people to come and see you. Remember that however difficult it feels now, it won’t last. Things will get better and you will be able to see loved ones at home again soon.
Don’t forget, your true team are always here to support you. If you’re feeling homesick, talk to us. We’ll do what we can to make you feel better and direct you to the best events and support for your wellbeing.