Homesickness is common among first year students at any university. Whether you moved 40 miles away or 2,000, your emotions are completely valid and normal. There are many ways to lighten that feeling of missing home. Here are some remedies and reminders for coping with homesickness.
Stay Connected
Maintaining regular contact with loved ones back home will help you feel more connected to the setting you're familiar with. Support systems are necessary for coping with homesickness. Schedule times to call or face-time with your friends and family so you have something to look forward to.
Along with those back home, it’s important to create bonds where you are. Don’t isolate yourself. Build another support system - find people to hang out with after class, do homework with, and plan activities together. You need people to celebrate with. Get involved with the variety of opportunities SEMO offers to meet new people. Join student organizations and attend events! You’ll find friends, but you have to put yourself out there.
Find Familiarity
Keep up with your traditions while adjusting to university life. Do you go to a pumpkin patch every fall or watch the same movie each year on the first day it snows? Continue doing those things! Don’t abandon everything familiar just because you moved to a new place.
Does your family have a signature dish? Prepare it in a common lounge or your apartment. Do you have a favorite show that brings you comfort? Re-watch it. While you can do these things alone, inviting people to share a part of your upbringing may help reduce those feelings of homesickness.
Explore Your Environment
Have fun. See the sights. You only get to feel like you’re a tourist in your new town for a little while. Take advantage of life at college! There are plenty of things to do in Cape Girardeau. You can either find someone who knows their way around or enjoy the adventure of something new and unfamiliar.
Take time to venture out of town. Many places are within driving distance. It doesn’t matter if you’re wanting to explore a big city or get lost in nature, there is a day trip from Cape that you’ll find exciting.
Create an Outlet
Maybe you find solace in journaling your feelings or painting your emotions on a canvas. Maybe you prefer a more active approach to handling homesickness. Try working out at the rec center or hiking on a trail close to Cape Girardeau.
Finding a way to express yourself can be a game-changer. Funnel your stress and anxiety into these outlets instead of other aspects of your life.
Seek Support
Still feeling homesick? There are on-campus resources available to provide advice and coping strategies. Consider receiving guidance from a counselor. They can help by talking about your emotions and providing a plan of action for your homesickness or homesickness anxiety.
College comes with a lot of change, but change can be a good thing. Focus on your day-to-day life. Give things time and be patient with yourself. Soon enough, Cape Girardeau will feel like home!