It is the third week of August. Congratulations on getting through the first month of this semester. However, if you’re an outstation student, the first month must have been quite difficult for you. Here are a few points on tackling homesickness.
It doesn’t matter if you’re a fresher yourself or have lived outside your hometown for quite a few years, whether your home is halfway around the world or half an hour down the road. If you’re living away from your home, you must have been through a dark phase called ‘homesickness’.
Ranging from the heart-warming goodbye at the steps leading to your front door to the teary eyes at the airport, you would inevitably miss home-family, friends, cuisine, atmosphere-when you live away from it. Let’s face it, there’s no way you can deal totally with this problem, but there are always ways in which this can be taken care of.
Mirroring Environments:
From drinking coffee in your favourite mug to reading your favourite book which reminds you of home, there are various ways in which you can mirror the lifestyle that you had at home. This shall not only make you feel better but shall also enhance your productivity when you are living in a different city for studies.
Comfort Food:
If you’re one of those whose spirits toil in the realm of food, then you’ll thank me for this tip. My personal experience has taught me that eating food from the place/region to which you belong, exercises scintillating effects on your thoughts and is known to help with anxiety and depression. Now that’s a win-win situation, isn’t it?
Understand your Situation:
If the above two weapons don’t work out, (Who are you kidding? Food does work) you can always introspect. Try to assign reason to all that is going on in your life. You worked all through your life in senior secondary school just to be where you are. You need to acknowledge this and give yourself some credit for the same. This is the place you have longed to be at. Look at the bigger picture. Once you pass out from here after three years (I really hope you do), you will have an entirely different life. Who knows, maybe after these years you might work in your hometown. So you need to pull yourself through this because you’re way stronger than you think.
Don’t Spend Time Alone:
When feeling homesick, never sit alone in your room gazing at the vivid texture of the four walls of your room. Instead, pick anything that diverts your attention. Read a book. Listen to some music. Use your first month of free subscription on Netflix to binge-watch a series or go out with your friends.
Delve into Literature:
It has been observed that jotting down your feelings is a very healthy way of blowing off some steam or dealing with stress. Activities such as scribbling into a journal, writing poetry, fiction etc. are practically proven means of mood-lifting.
Talk it out:
You can always try having a heart-to-heart conversation with anyone you can confide in. Care needs to be taken that you must not let your feelings overpower you. Stay strong. Stay Happy. Stay Confident.
These are some of the very simple ways to deal with anxiety and stress related to homesickness. However, if the problem persists, professional help from therapists can always be sought.
Feature Image Credits: Her Campus
Aashish Jain