Moving away from home to study can be an exciting, life-changing experience, but it can also be really hard. No matter how old you are, homesickness is a normal part of any big move. If you’re missing home, here are a few tips to help you get through and make the most of living in a new place.
Don’t beat yourself up. Homesickness is a really common experience for people studying away from home, so don’t put yourself down for feeling the way you do. Missing home doesn’t make you weak or dramatic and it shouldn’t make you feel bad about yourself.
Keep yourself busy. Not just with your studies either. Make sure you go out, explore your surroundings and remind yourself of why you decided to move away to study in the first place. Getting a part-time job and doing some extra-curricular activities can also be a great way to fill up your schedule.
Make your new home feel like home. Try finding small ways to make your living space feel comfortable and like your own, like buying a nice blanket or a house plant. Even if it doesn’t feel exactly like home, it should still be somewhere you can look forward to coming back to after a long day.
Keep in touch (but not all the time). Sometimes, calling your mum or your best friend at home can be enough to relieve the feeling of homesickness for a while. However, don’t fall into the habit of spending hours talking to them every day – it’ll prevent you from talking to the people around you and can actually make you miss home even more.
Ask for help if you need it. Reach out to a friend or a family member to talk about your feelings – especially if they’ve gone through something similar. If you need more support, Curtin has helpful counselling and wellbeing services available for students.
Written by mass communications student Kelsey Tang
