Survival Tips for Homesickness
- Set your room up with something familiar from home
- Make an effort to talk to someone new
- Try to leave your door open sometimes when you are sitting in your room; someone might pass by and say 'hello'
- Get into activities which build up a storehouse of good new memories for you
- Talk to someone else about how you feel - any new student will probably feel much the same as you do
- Invite a friend from home to visit, sharing with them aspects of your new life at college eases the transition
- Respond to the invitations of others to places or events where you will meet more people
- It is hard to let go of home, but calling home too often in the first few weeks may prolong homesickness for you
- Recognize that this is a grief experience. Have a good cry; it is nothing to be ashamed of, when you're really feeling down
- Jot down thoughts, experiences, and dreams in a journal, and try to make some sense out of the different pieces
- Be kind to yourself - it is okay to miss home and perfectly normal. After all, you have spent most of your life there until now, so tears can be cleansing
- You can get help to work out creative ways of dealing with homesickness from the counselors in Counseling & Psychological Services
For more information or an appointment, call
Fairfield University Counseling & Psychological Services
(203) 254-4000 ext. 2146