Being away from loved ones and familiar places while you’re in college can be stressful for a lot of different reasons. Preparing some coping strategies ahead of time can help you manage homesickness in a way that supports your overall mental health. Even if you weren’t expecting these feelings to come up, you can self-soothe by finding comfort, offering yourself compassion, and connecting with others. 

Sadness, anxiety, and loneliness from homesickness can put a damper on new experiences. To some extent, these feelings are a reminder that you have a place where you feel like you belong. If your negative feelings are severe, or if self-care and social interaction doesn’t help, it may be helpful to talk with a licensed clinician. Virtual Services are available to provide support with fewer geographic limitations.

In this article, we’ll share eight strategies to help you cope with homesickness while you’re away at school.

8 ways to cope with homesickness in college

To manage feelings of homesickness, start by finding some safe ways to reflect and understand them. Get curious about what thoughts and memories are comforting and what makes you feel worse. Sharing how you’re feeling with someone you trust can help you build a supportive relationship and feel a sense of connection. Finally, once you’ve started to process your feelings, opening up to exploring can help you feel more present.

Try the following tips to cope with homesickness in a way that supports your overall well-being:

• Acknowledge and accept your feelings 

Mindfully sitting with the discomfort and offering yourself some compassion can help make these feelings a bit lighter. You can feel both sadness and excitement at the same time, and making room for both positive and negative feelings can help you make a smooth adjustment. Try journaling, talking with someone you trust, going for a walk, or putting on your favorite music as you work through your feelings.

• Keep a reminder of home with you 

Keeping a bit of home with you, like a piece of jewelry from a loved one or a stone from your driveway, can provide a sense of comfort and connection. If your mementos make you feel more homesick, you may need to find different ones or reframe how you’re thinking of them. Try to use them as reminders that your loved ones are thinking of you and that you will make it back home, whether to stay or for visits. 

• Have regular contact with loved ones 

Stay in touch with your friends and family at home, but not so much that it keeps you from building new social connections. Text often, plan weekly video calls to look forward to, and visit when you can, but not every weekend.

• Create new rituals that honor home while building new relationships 

Find ways to adapt traditions and activities to your new school environment. This might look like eating your favorite foods from home, celebrating certain holidays, or going to local spots that remind you of home.

• Explore your new environment with curiosity instead of comparison 

There’s beauty and value in differences. The things you love about home may not compare to campus, and that’s OK. Chances are, there are other things to appreciate that you never would have experienced if you didn’t get out of your comfort zone.

• Build up a new sense of belonging

It starts with meeting new people and getting to know your school culture. Try finding student organizations, events, or sports teams to get involved with. At the very least, you’ll find a sense of companionship. With time, you may end up with a new “chosen family” away from home.

• Branch out gradually rather than all at once 

Don’t push yourself to try all the new things or establish your new life right away. Taking it at your own pace will help ensure that you can keep going without burning out. 

• Recognize when professional support might be helpful 

You don’t have to do this alone. If you’re feeling overwhelmed or your homesickness doesn’t subside within a few weeks, you may benefit from seeing a licensed clinician. A clinician can help you work through what you’re feeling and develop new coping skills.

Lightfully is here to support you through periods of homesickness in college

It’s OK for these adjustments to take some time. Homesickness isn’t a sign of weakness — it’s evidence of meaningful connections. Learning to carry those connections while building new ones is a sign of growth. It’s not something you can “overcome” permanently. However, with some new strategies and practice, you can get better at managing it. You may need a combination of self-care, social support, and mental health treatment while getting used to life on campus.

At Lightfully, we help people manage feelings of homesickness that cause significant distress or affect their ability to function. Our licensed clinicians provide personalized treatment using a system called Precision Care Model (PCM). They target four core life processes for lasting resilience: your thoughts, emotions, behaviors, and relationships. Our Virtual Services are popular options for students. 

If you’re considering mental health treatment for homesickness, we can help. Please contact us or reach out to our Admissions Concierge Team today.