Managing When You Miss Home

By Alyssa Irby on October 11, 2012

 

Photo by Alyssa Irby

 

Have you come to the point where college is getting a little stressful? Maybe you’re missing you’re friends from home, your family, or your favorite pet. If any of these things sound familiar, then you’re in luck. I have some ideas to, hopefully, help you feel a little bit better.

 Write Letters

While this may sound a bit dorky or old fashioned, it’s actually fun. One of my favorite parts about being far from home is the joy of opening my mailbox to find something from a friend or family member. Your friends are probably feeling similarly to you. Writing letters is a nice way to relax and tell someone who knows all your funny little quirks about your new life away from home. Start by sending your friends little letters to tell them about your week and maybe by the end of the year you’ll have a correspondence going like you were never really that far from each other.

Coloring

This too may come as a shock, but coloring is a good way to relax after a hard week of studying and midterms and floor drama and whatever else you may be dealing with. Plus, it also provides some comforting wall decorations if you don’t already have some. You can find a cheap coloring book in the toy aisle of most grocery stores and a small pack of crayons or colored pencils are usually in the school/office supply section. Pick a theme that you think you might like and let the creative juices flow. You can also send these to your friends in the letters mentioned above.

Skype

Find your friends and video chat them! It’s a perfect way to see their room and show them yours without paying for expensive plane tickets or gas tanks. This way, they can also meet your friends and vice versa. I always found this to be a great way to connect with my friends across the country. It will also help when you’re away from your new friends on Winter or Spring Breaks. The application is free on most computers and easy to install.

Stuffed Animals

If you’re missing that special furry friend, don’t be ashamed; plenty of my friends sleep with a pillow pet or even a plain old stuffed animal. It is always comforting to cuddle up with something soft after a stressful day. Many grocery stores carry stuffed animals in their toy section where you can stick it under your milk jug to carry back to the dorm or hide it beneath other comfort foods. Pillow pets can also be found in stores like these.

It’s okay to miss home and how things used to be, but you don’t have to be miserable. It’s college, embrace it, but there are things you can do to help your new surroundings feel a little more homey.

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