Getting Past Homesickness While in College
College life can be one the best periods of one’s life. College brings with it the exciting opportunities of meeting new people, making new friends, parties, fun and a feeling of independence. There are many reasons for people to remember their college lives forever and rightly tag this period of time as being the best in their lives. However, every picture has two sides and similarly college life has its flip side too. Among various unproductive emotions one feels during college life, perhaps the most common is the feeling of homesickness. Homesickness can become a major obstacle in one’s progress in college; therefore it is imperative that this feeling be nipped in the bud. In this article we are going to discuss various ways in which one can snap out of homesickness while in college.
For most students, going to college means having to leave the comfort of their homes and relocate to some other state or city. While this can be exciting owing to the sense of freedom and growing up, this phenomenon also causes homesickness among myriad of students. The all important question is, then, how to tackle this feeling of homesickness?
There are many ways through which one can get past homesickness. Here are some suggestions on how you can get past homesickness.
One good way of getting past homesickness is to focus on your aim. Remind yourself why you are in the college in the first place and be determined to reach your goal. Think of this period as a challenging yet rewarding transitional phase which will bring you closer to your aim, which you have set for yourself.
Making friends is probably the easiest and most widely used technique to get past homesickness. When you are new to college, you will find others who are possibly going through the same difficult period as you and looking to bond with others. You should grasp this opportunity and quickly make some new – positive and quality – friends. Having – positive and quality – friends around is probably your best bet to having a jolly good time in college. Besides, you can share your feelings with them and that can help you to feel better. Friends provide the opportunity of having ample fun, and can also create instant study groups.
Keeping yourself busy is one of the best things you can do to avoid homesickness. When you are free, your mind usually fills up with memories of home, thus it is imperative that you get busy in order not to let these feelings come to your mind in the first place. You can join a gym, some college activity, library, sports club or some college society to get busy. There are numerous ways to keep yourself busy, so do not just sit around idle thinking and saying, “I’m bored, there’s absolutely nothing to do here but school work.”
Becoming a good communicator is another way to help you past homesickness. Don’t suppress your feelings, and if you feel heavyhearted, just let out those pent up emotions in a safe and healthy way. There are always people around to listen to you. Realize the fact that you are not alone and there are many other students like you. So move along and try to enjoy the various opportunities that college can provide.
Giving yourself time to adapt, adjust and settle-in is another good way to get you past homesickness. It may take a semester or more before you stop feeling homesick. It can take time to adjust, adapt and settle-in to a major life change like being away at college. Hang in there—you and your future will be glad you did years down the road!
In a nutshell, there are numerous ways to get past and over homesickness. I cannot possibly list all the techniques in a short article like this. What you need to know is that, this feeling is normal and it can be dealt with and alleviated. You must absolutely not allow this emotional feeling to affect your studies and destroy one of the best periods of your life. So work and think positively to get past this feeling and enjoy college!
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Ty Howard is an internationally recognized authority on college student and staff and faculty development for peak performance and optimal success. He is the creator and lead facilitator of the trademarked “Untie the Knots® Optimal Performance Process,” and the author of the best-selling book Untie the Knots® That Tie Up Your Life: A Practical Guide to Freeing Yourself from Toxic Habits, Choices, People, and Relationships, as well as dozens of published articles on college student development and employee and organizational development worldwide. For information on his programs and services, visit: http://www.dynamiccollegespeaker.com.
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