How to Deal With Homesickness at University

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

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#STUDENTMONDAY: Fashion & Beauty Haul

Happy Bank Holiday - we hope you've all had a lovely three-day weekend!
Welcome to the first post in our Student Monday series. As our final instalment of our student loan came through recently, we decided to treat ourselves to some new clothes. On Friday we spent the day shopping and we thought we'd show you what we bought:

New Balance Trainers: Schuh 

K's been after a pair of these beauties for a while now, but has been waiting for the right style and colour combo to become available. This style is the 420 in black and grey, and can be worn with pretty much anything! We love the pop of green that the logo and insole brings to the shoes. New Balance trainers are supposed to be one of the comfiest brands around, and with Schuh's 10% student discount offer, it was hard to say no!

Khaki-Lovin'

Playsuit: H&M (similar here) - This playsuit from H&M can be dressed up or down, and that's just one of the reasons we love it! S adores it with black boots dressed up for a night out. The fabric is very light and soft and will be perfect for summer evenings.

Boots: H&M - Who can go wrong with black boots?! We believe everyone needs a good pair in their wardrobe. The suede detail on the boot reminds us of a pair of Kurt Geiger's, but at only £29, they're half the price (you can thank us later!)

Sunglasses: Topshop (same shape, different colour) - K's been looking for a good pair of sunglasses that actually suit her face shape for a while now, and after trying countless pairs on in Topshop, these were the ones that got the nod of approval from S. The green colour is complementary to most skin tones and will go with pretty much anything!

Primer: Smashbox - To us, a primer can be one of the most difficult beauty purchases, as there are so many to choose from, and you need to choose one that will do what you want it to (smooth lines, reduce the look of pores etc). We've heard so much about this one by Smashbox and the reviews have been positive so we decided to go for it. We'll keep you updated on how we find it.

Necklace: ASOS - Dainty and discreet, this necklace adds a subtle detail to the outfit without being overpowering. The layered detail draws the eye down the outfit and completes this look. Plus, at £10 this classic necklace will go with everything.


En Vogue

Sleeveless Jacket: New Look (similar here) - This sleeveless jacket is very much on trend at the moment, and we love pairing this with a long sleeved jersey tee and skinny jeans. The outfit is smart yet casual, perfect for weekend adventures.

Necklace: Primark - We are loving this statement necklace! It pairs perfectly with a plain top and the colours within the necklace add a pop of pastel colour to an outfit, and at £8 this necklace is perfect for summer.

Clutch: Miss Selfridge - This gorgeous clutch pairs beautifully with the heels below, and are perfect for a summer night out. Plus we love the cute slogan on the front - it fits perfectly for us doing fashion in Uni! Miss Selfridge do a range of these clutches in different colours with sassy sayings on the front.

Heels: Primark - These court heels are gorgeous! And found at less than £10, how could we resist getting them?! They're perfect to wear out for drinks, but possibly not for too long as we found them a little uncomfortable! Be prepared with plasters for these ones.


Bits'n'bobs

Here are some accessories we accumulated from nail vanish to sunglasses.

Eat Pretty Book: Urban Outfitters -K picked up this book as she's trying to sort out her healthy choices food-wise, and is loving reading this so far. Packed with recipes and facts, this book is a good buy.

Rimmel Soul Session Nail Varnish: Tesco - We're loving neutral nail colours recently, and this Rimmel colour is the perfect go-to for us in this not-so-spring weather we're having at the moment. We originally saw this nail polish recommended by the gorgeous Persian Babe on YouTube and have been looking for it ever since!

Rimmel Exaggerate Lip Liner: Tesco - We've been crushing on this lip liner for what seems like forever now, after falling in love with Charlotte Tilbury's lip liners (but sadly this isn't our budget!) and going on Amelia Liana's recomendation that this Rimmel range is a perfect dupe. We love the colour Eastend Snob and at £4, you can't go wrong!

Sunglasses: ASOS - If like S you find it hard to find the perfect sunglasses, shopping for this accessory can be frustrating, but we're happy to say that S has finally found this year's sunglasses. This black pair with gold detail are the perfect size: not to small and not too big for her (in her brother's words: pea head).


We hope this haul got you inspired to go shopping ready for summer. Make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter to see more of our spendy purchases.
See you Friday!

S & K  xo

FROM US TO YOU: "You're gonna love May"

We couldn't resist putting one of these in... So many May puns!

Welcome to a new month at Eleven Oh Seven. This month is going to be bitter-sweet for us, as May sees the last month of us living together (we are trying not to think about it too much!) which leads us to this month's theme of Student Life in Cardiff.  This series will be called 'Student Monday', in which we will cover everything from a sneaky student-loan haul, 10 things we'll miss about living in a student house and student-budget friendly places to eat in Cardiff.

This month also sees K's Brussels post, where she gives you a glimpse into Belgian life on her four day city break last month, showing you Belgian cuisine and around the beautiful medieval town of Bruges.

We hope you all have an brilliant and fun-filled Bank Holiday weekend and are looking forward to another month here at Eleven Oh Seven!

S & K  xo