Homesickness and How to Combat it

You just finished moving into your dorm. You finally get to sit on your bed and take everything in. You did it, after days of moving in you are finally able to relax and collect your thoughts. You take a deep breath in and all of a sudden this feeling takes over. What is that feeling? Why are you sad all of a sudden? This is a happy moment in your life and the beginning of your life, but why do you feel like this and what is this feeling?

That sad feeling you have is very normal. It is called homesickness and you are not the only one that is feeling this way. Most students experience some form of homesickness when they are in college. The good news is that there are ways to cope with this and remember that you are not alone.

There are many ways to combat this feeling. One of the biggest things that is offered to students is CAPS. A service that allows CU Boulder students to talk it out. Talking about your feelings and connecting with someone can really help and it’s free to students. Some people don’t like this route though and that is perfectly fine because there are other ways to cope with homesickness.

Another healthy way to cope with being homesick is bringing photos of family, friends and things that make you happy to college. Rather you create a scrapbook or hang them on your wall, having those memories around can help remind you that you are not alone and those family and friends are only a phone call away.

Keep in contact with your family and friends and let them know how you are feeling. Set time aside every week to talk to friends and family, whether it is over the phone or over facetime make sure you stay in contact and also let them know how you are feeling. Being in a new place and on your own for the first time can be scary, but having a good support system is really important in dealing with homesickness.

Being involved on campus and creating new opportunities for yourself will really help you cope with homesickness by finding others on campus that share your interests. Rather you end up rushing or joining a club on campus, find your niche that you can bond with others over.

My freshman year at CU was in 2016, I lived in Buckingham Hall and had two other suitemates. I was very homesick my first semester. The biggest tip for me was that I found out I am not alone going through this and found out my roommates were going through the same thing too. We bonded that way and are still great friends years later because of it.  I also joined a group on campus called Phi Sigma Pi and found a great group of friends through that as well.

There are many ways to deal with this feeling of homesickness and many other students going through it. Just know this feeling won’t last forever and you are not alone in feeling this way. It’s perfectly normal to be homesick, you will find a way that helps you most deal with this throughout your college experience, so you can truly enjoy Boulder.