Moving away is an exciting time. For the majority of students (mature students aside) it will be the first time you have lived away from your parents and home town. You will be responsible for your own cooking, cleaning and bill paying. As exciting as it is, it can be daunting and you will find that you miss the comforts of home. You’re in a new and unfamiliar city, so what do you do about homesickness?
About Homesickness
Put simply, homesickness is missing your parents and the area, people and places with which you are familiar. This is a common phenomenon. NUS statistics suggest that anywhere between 50% and 70% of students will feel homesick as they start university. It doesn’t just affect first years. Counselling services around the country say that this is the most common form of emotional difficulty that students experience. That is why Nightline runs from the first day of Fresher’s Week, to help new students transition.
Tip 1: Get Out and Explore
Much of the concern of homesickness is a lack of familiarity. Most people, no matter how much wanderlust they have, feel comfort in familiar surroundings. When you arrive at your university town or city, you don’t know where anything is. Find the supermarket, the shopping centre, some good pubs and restaurants. Also, get familiar with local tourist destinations. Visiting these places can help break that unfamiliarity and help you appreciate your new home.
Tip 2: Home Comforts
Every student should bring some home comforts, even if it is just some favourite photographs from home, a soft toy or a football shirt. These things remind you of home. You might think they would make you pine for home that little bit more. However, they serve as comfortable reminders that your family and friends are just a stone’s throw, skype, phone call or Facebook message away.
Tip 3: University Counselling Services
We mentioned Nightline above. This helpline is staffed by volunteer students, most of whom will have gone through the same problems as you. They are there to listen to your problems and help you through them. If your emotional issues are far deeper (for example, you have a history of depression) then you should seek professional help from the university’s counsellors. Remember, no matter what difficulty you are having, there is help available.
Tip 4: A Routine
Make a plan of what days you will do what. In your first few weeks of your first year, you will have a lot of time to settle in. Choose a specific day to go shopping. If you have a car, choose a day of the week to go for a drive. You don’t need a destination in mind. As with Tip 1, you are getting familiar with the place. Choose a day to go to the gym and so on.