Studying abroad can be challenging in many aspects. Moving to an unknown location, especially a cosmopolitan country like the UK, comes with a pile of overwhelming emotions – both positive and negative. You experience everything from happiness to excitement to nervousness to distress, but it’s the negative emotions that surpass others, giving rise to homesickness. Missing your family and friends is very natural, but it should not hold you back from fulfilling your real purpose–pursuing education.
So to keep your focus and well-being intact, we have come up with nine practical tips to overcome homesickness quickly!
What is Homesickness?
Homesickness is the feeling characterised by anxiety and distress, which occurs when you are away from home or a familiar setting. The duration of time and the degree of intensity can vary from person to person. As for some, it may linger around for a week, and for others, it may continue for months. Similarly, some people can feel extreme emotions during this period while others remain only slightly affected. Luckily, there are ways to combat it, but professional guidance is mandatory to treat medically in prolonged periods.
Look After Yourself!
We understand shifting to an unknown location comes with a mixed bag of emotions. A sudden change in your day-to-day life can disrupt your peace. In these times, maintaining a good lifestyle and positive mindset is imperative for both your mental and physical well-being. Start by creating a self-care routine and try to stick to it. Exercise 3-4 times a week, eat healthy food, take a minimum of 7-8 hours sleep, walk as much & wherever you can, and more.
Keep Yourself Occupied
Your primary purpose is to study, and it’s precisely where you should be focussing on. Try to be as busy as you can by being involved in your academic and extracurricular activities. You can join various clubs on your campus – theatre, entrepreneurship, media & publication, community service, and more – whatever piques your interest. Besides that, you can take volunteering programs, apply for internships, or work with an NGO. Coming out of your comfort zone and actively participating will help you forget about your homesickness and make you better acquainted with your new life.
Explore your New Home
A new country is like a blank canvas. You can colour it with your adventures. So what’re you waiting for? Whether you are staying in fancy student rooms in Coventry or surrounded by legendary Sherwood Forest near your student accommodation in Nottingham, step out to immerse in the culture of your new bustling city. Make a bucket list of the things you want to accomplish before you take off.
From indulging in the local food to partying out in the best nightclubs to stopping by the breathtaking sceneries to visiting magnificent museums & libraries, you have so much more on your plate than just attending your college and chilling inside watching Netflix all day! While you enjoy every minute of it, don’t forget to take pictures and record videos. They will be the perfect memories to cherish forever.
Create Engaging Content on your Social Media
We understand you may feel nostalgic while scrolling through your Instagram or Facebook feeds on how your friends are enjoying without you, or you regret missing that family dinner every Saturday night. Ideally, you want to stay away from social media until you adjust to your new life, but we would like to urge you otherwise.
You should be on social media and engage your audience with your thrilling adventures in your host country. After all, not everyone gets lucky to experience a different place – so make the best out of it! Click fancy pictures, shoot fun videos, and upload stories of your beautiful location. Entertain your audience with your thrilling life, and don’t forget first to enjoy it yourself.
Continue Doing the Things you Love!
Changing your home does not mean you have to leave behind your old habits and hobbies. Be it practising Yoga, cooking spaghetti, dancing to rock music, or painting outdoors, you must continue them. You may find many classes near your student housing in Bristol or around your university campus in London; you must start right away! Doing the things we love helps in keeping overthinking at bay and reduces stress. Moreover, you will have a chance to socialise with other people, and maybe, you could make new friends, too.
Make New friends
The best thing about settling in a new place is interacting with its natives. While it is essential to stay connected with the people of your country, it’s also necessary to explore beyond your comfort zone and talk to different people. It prompts an excellent exchange of cultural values, ideas, and traditions to build meaningful lifelong friendships.
Stay Connected with your Close Ones
Well, you have migrated to a new city, country or continent, but you have not left the planet. Thankfully, with vast advancements in technology, we can stay connected with our loved ones even from the remotest locations of the earth. So send in emails, write long letters, talk on messages & calls, and do facetime with each other.
Everyone loves receiving gifts, especially when it’s from a foreign place. So share your experiences with your friends and family by sending them gifts, souvenirs, or things that might not be available in your home country.
Invite your friends & family to Visit You
Be it on your summer break or Christmas holidays, invite your friends and family to visit you and show them your new home. Take them to your favourite places, get them acquainted with the city’s life, make them try the local food, and go shopping together. There are many things you can do to make this short trip fun and memorable. After which, you have great things to talk about, or maybe, more plans to execute, rather than whining on the phone all the time.
Write about It!
Writing your thoughts down in a journal helps a lot when dealing with stress and anxiety. It’s an excellent way to vent out your frustrations. All you need is a diary or a document on your desktop. Don’t worry about legibility or grammatical mistakes; just write and let those bottled up emotions out. You can start journaling whenever your anxiety kicks in, but in the long run, we would encourage you to maintain the habit and write as frequently as you can.
How can Amberstudent help you?
AmberStudent serves millions of students worldwide by providing the best options and rewarding experience for booking a house. We are upgraded with the latest COVID protocols and would be more than happy to assist you in booking your ideal home. Tune in to our Facebook and Instagram to stay updated.
Author: Harshita A (Content Writer at AmberStudent)
Harshita A, a postgraduate in English Journalism and a graduate in Hotel Management. She has worked in diverse industries and with people from all walks of life. Her well-rounded experience ignited her curiosity in constantly learning new things about the world and led her to write passionately about them.
