How to manage being far away from your loved ones

By Anna Baker

loved ones during the school year. Keep in touch a healthy amount

When you miss home, it can be tempting to call your family or friends every single day for hours at a time. It’s important to stay in touch during this transitional period of your life, but don’t overdo it. Calling them too much might just make you more sad. Instead try having a set time for when you call your parents or friends. That way you can look forward to reconnecting without it taking time away from your life at UH.

Put yourself out there, however you want

A lot of people say to put yourself out there, but many people assume that means going to parties and joining tons of clubs. This can be great for some people, but not everyone is super extroverted. Sometimes the pressure to do all these activities can make someone feel overwhelmed and cause them to just sit in their dorm all the time. If you want to join every club you see at Cat’s Back, the annual student organization fair at the start of the year, then go for it, but it might be more useful to take your time and figure out which clubs you are actually interested in. Take it slow and don’t put so much pressure on yourself.

That being said, keep yourself busy

When we sit around without a lot to do, we tend to get bored. If you’re already homesick and you don’t have a lot to do, it’s easy to go into depressive, hopeless states. If you keep busy, you can keep your mind from falling into these moods. Joining a club can help keep you busy, but there’s still more you can do. Having an exercise routine is a great idea.

UH has an amazing recreation center and the dorms have mini gyms as well. Exercising is good to keep busy, but it can also relieve pent up energy. This can help relieve anxiety from being away from home.

Get help if you need it

There’s only so much you can do on your own without outside help. Sometimes you just need someone to talk to when you miss home, and there is never any shame in seeking help. UH Counseling and Psychological Services is a great place on campus where you can get affordable counseling for as little as five dollars an hour. If you want to start counseling, all you have to do is call the CAPS office to set up an initial appointment.

College can be difficult in general, but it can be especially different if your family and friends are far away. Hopefully you can remedy the homesickness as much as possible using these tips and knowing that you’re not alone.

By Haya Panjwani