Homesickness affects the majority of students on campus at some point, whether they’re from out-of-state towns, or even just down I-5.
Psychology experts describe “homesickness” as “a longing for home while away from it,” and also call this feeling “separation anxiety.” Some people get over it quickly, while others take more time. It does not come easy to be thrust into a new college environment where you don’t know anyone.
Students may find that at first they don’t experience any feelings of sadness, but once a school routine kicks in and everything doesn’t seem as new anymore, these feelings can hit anyone at any time.
“Being from out of state was tough in the beginning,” said Audrey Gutierrez@@http://directory.uoregon.edu/ws-directory-client/directory.jsp@@, a sophomore from Gilroy, Calif., a small town near San Jose@@true@@. “People going to the UO would already know a lot of friends from their own high school coming in. Being from Gilroy, I knew only four people and that was it.”
There are plenty of simple ways to ease the homesickness and to get back to enjoying the college life. Some ways work better for others, but over time those feelings of loneliness usually go away.
“… a few weeks of getting settled in and meeting the new people at the dorms,” Gutierrez said, “that made everything better and the homesickness went away quickly.”
Combat homesickness by hanging pictures of your family and friends in your room and by using video services such as Skype and ooVoo that provide free online video chats. Through these chats, you can show your friends your new room or introduce your new friends and say hi to your family pet.
And you can always talk with friends or school health counselors on campus if this problem lingers for months. Don’t be shy and ask for help if you need it.
How to overcome homesickness when it strikes
Nicholas Filipas
October 10, 2012
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