It’s once again that time of the year to start with our academic routines. Whether you are coming back to classes or about to start them, it’s impossible to forget our family time and being back at home.
The pandemic has given us extra time with those who we love the most but now we have to face leaving them to come back, but how to do it? Here I will recommend for you a couple of tips that may be helpful to avoid homesickness.
1. Stay busy but not too much
Try to fill your schedule as much as you can during the first weeks. Don’t forget to add time for yourself; it’s good to think and be aware of your mental state, so grab a couple of hours a day to use as you please.
2. Cook or bake
Cooking and baking takes time and effort. One always feels good right after enjoying something that was made by us for us. So, try to dive into your cooking skills and treat yourself with anything you’d like, maybe try to learn your home’s traditional food.
3. Schedule video and phone calls
Stay connected with the ones you love as much as you need. Try to set a time for these calls so that they are moderated and you have the chance to detach gradually day by day. It’s important to understand that we can still communicate within certain limits, so being homesick doesn’t hit suddenly.
4. Enjoy a social life
Allow yourself to go out with friends from uni in order to get to know them more. So, you will work on friendships that can be as close as the ones back at home. It’s a good chance not only to enjoy uni-life but also to tackle feeling lonely.
5. Consider living in a student flat
If you are surrounded by students you will have people to share things with but also to have flatmates who may be experiencing homesickness also because it’s quite common.
After moving all the way from Peru to England, it made me understand that homesickness does hit, but there are some ways to cope with it. I hope you explore these recommendations because they can make the change you need. Don’t forget, you can always contact the universities Health and Wellbeing teams for more help. There are always more answers to the questions, don’t stay quiet.
Stay safe and don’t forget to wash your hands,
Ariana