Feeling Homesick?

By Angela Pender

Staff Writer

 

I want to go home! Yeah, we all know this feeling and things can be pretty rough when you are away from home for a long period of time, especially if it’s your first time being away. It feels like it will be forever until you make it there, but don’t worry, you’re not alone because everyone gets homesick once in awhile.

Dealing with the pressures of school, work, and activities can be stressful and at times there is no place like home, but there are ways to get over homesickness without feeling really sick to your stomach.

First is get use to your surrounds. At first it is a little weird seeing a new place and you may feel uncomfortable, but you won’t feel this way forever. By exploring and joining activities, you get use to the feeling of where you are and you might even find a friend along the way. Next is talk to other people. Expressing how you feel can be a good thing because you loosen the tension that you put on your body of feeling alone and afraid and start to unwind because you soon realize that you are not the only one that feels like this.

The most important thing to do is stay connected with home, but not too connected. Maintaining your relationships with friends and family from home is important because it helps you miss them less because you talk to the frequently, but according to Dr. Klapow, a clinical psychologist and an associate professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, “getting over homesickness is severing emotional ties from home. This separation is part of learning to live differently, not just being away of home.” So trying to wing yourself off going home as much can be for the better.

Lastly, stay positive! A negative attitude will draw in negative energy and that is never good. By staying positive it makes you hopefully and excited because you have something to look forward to and it makes the time move by more quickly. You are not alone when it comes to being homesick it just all depends on how you handle it.

Email Angela at:

apender1@live.esu.edu 

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