Self-Help Materials:  Homesickness

Being homesick is a normal feeling many new students experience.  It is caused by being placed into a new environment with new people and at the same time feeling vulnerable, lonely, and insecure.  The good news is that this usually disappears within a few weeks!  The more effort you put into overcoming homesickness, the quicker you will overcome it.  Here are a few tips:

1. Remember:  You are not alone.  Help yourself and others by opening the lines of communication.  "Just say hi."
2. Take the lead and ask others to participate in activities with you.  Ask someone over to your room, to go out for pizza, or to go to lunch.
3. Become familiar with your surroundings.  Get a map and explore!
4. Go to public areas.  Avoid secluding yourself in your room.
5. Bring articles from home to decorate your room.  Arrange photos of friends and family in your room.
6. Control the amount of time you spend visiting family and friends via telephone, email, or return trips home.  That contact can be comforting, but too much contact can cause your homesickness to become worse.  Prearrange a schedule to contact your parents and stick to it.  Share good news, as well as bad.
7. If you are having difficulty overcoming homesickness, contact your residential director, residential assistant, or the Psychological Counseling Services Office.
8. Make a hometown scrapbook.
9. Join a club or campus organization and go to college events.
10. Find a new special interest or hobby.
11. Keep a journal.  This will help you to track your progress through the issues related to homesickness.
12. Ask for "care packages" from home.

 DO NOT find comfort in bad habits.  They only magnify the situation.

If you need further information, please contact: Psychological Counseling Services by telephone at (304) 788-6976, email at SEKephart@mail.wvu.edu, or simply stop by the office located on the base floor of the Health Center.