Happy Tuesday everyone!
This week marks the first week
of freshers for many across the UK. For many first-time freshers this is an
exciting time in your life, your first taste of independence and living away
from home. Although this is a very exciting thought it can also cause some anxiety.
I believe that everybody
experiences homesickness at some point during his or her first year of University. For some, homesickness can last longer than freshers week. I like
50-70% of UK students suffered from homesickness at the beginning of my University experience, so today I have decided to share with you some tips that
helped me overcome my homesickness at University.
The symptoms of homesickness
As well as emotional symptoms
like sadness, anxiousness and in some cases depression, homesickness can cause
physical symptoms such as tiredness, lack of apatite, lack of concentration,
dizziness and headaches.
Stay in touch with your
family and friends
Keep in touch with your
family via phone calls and Skype - this will make the distance feel less. Also
social media is a great way to keep in touch with your childhood friends. Create a group chat to share your University experiences with each other.
Arrange for friends and family to come and visit you
Instead of escaping University and the feeling of homesickness, invite friends and family to come
and visit you so you can explore your new surroundings together. Organising
visits ahead of time so I had a date to look forward to really helped me when I was
experiencing homesickness.
Make your room feel homely
Bringing some home comforts to University will help your room feel more like home. Student accommodation is
notorious for being... well basic, so fill your room with photos fairy lights
and fun bedding.
But don’t spend all your time in your room
Although homesickness can
make you feel anxious and lethargic, don’t spend all your time in your room. Head
out to the communal areas and bond with your flatmates - this will take your mind
off your homesickness and make each day pass quicker rather than drag when you're
alone in your room.
Experience University as much as you can
Although you may want to hide away, make sure you
fully experience University. Homesickness is only temporary so spend as much time
carrying on with your daily life. Spend your days off exploring your new
surroundings and making memories that will last forever.
Finally, don’t give up
Although it may seem like the best option to leave University and choose a different route, (for some it is but don’t make any
decisions in the first month or two) but like I’ve stressed in this post homesickness is temporary so don’t make any decision you may later regret.
For me homesickness feels like a lifetime away - it’s
been three years since I left home for the first time to head to University. I
have now graduated and am living back at home, and trust me I am so jealous of
everybody heading to University this month. As I think back at my time at University,
the fist few weeks of homesickness does not come to mind, the good times I
experienced have overpowered the anxious times. Writing this post I had to think
very hard about how I felt as my mind almost forgot about my short time dealing
with homesickness.
I hope this post helped with anyone dealing with
homesickness.
See you Sunday,
S xo
