By Caleb Odom
It happens to everybody. That feeling when a kid goes off to college for the first time with a car load of possessions and a lot of excitement about the future.
College can be some of the best experiences in a person’s life, but saying goodbye to the family and former way of life can be hard.
I’m talking about the moment when it sets in that a student is all alone and mommy isn’t there to hold their hand.
What can they do when they’re homesick?
Here are five things a college student can do to fight off the common feeling of the blues for university newcomers.
Get outside
Instead of sitting in a dorm room, sulking about not knowing anyone at Troy or missing the parents, get outside and check out the campus.
Troy University’s campus has all kinds of things to see that will help take a mind away from feeling lonely. There is the Trojan fountain on the quad and the school’s Barnes and Noble that sells snacks and books to enjoy.
Troy University offers many sporting events throughout the fall and spring semesters for students to attend such as football, women’s volleyball and women’s soccer.
Be social
Another good way put the homesickness to the wayside is to make friends.
Be friendly and people will be friendly back and all of a sudden a new student is “eating lunch with the fellas” or “having dinner with the girls.”
A new student can find common ground with all kinds of different people who have various hobbies and interests at Troy.
If a new student loves to play music there is the Sound of South, and if they like to have fraternity brothers or sorority sisters, Greek life is a great option to forget about being homesick.
Keep in touch with family
Just because a kid new to college life has to leave home doesn’t mean that they can’t ever pick up the phone and call the family.
Calling home every so often can actually help in getting over being homesick because the student can talk to family members about how they are feeling and a conversation can be soothing.
Looking back at the former way of life, such as living at home and being in high school can show a person that they have come a long way to make it to college and that they can embrace the new life.
Exercise
I know it sounds out of place but running, lifting weights or other forms of being active can help a homesick person beat the mental battle of feeling out of place or lonely.
Exercising is not just physical, it is a mental process of pushing the body to achieve a goal whether it is running a mile, lifting weights or swimming laps.
So, needless to say when a person exercises they are accomplishing a mental goal which could also help them overcome the mental battle of being homesick.
Go to class
This one may seem like a no-brainer for people, but a lot of kids skip class if they are upset or homesick. Going to class gives a student something to focus on and they also gain a structured routine to have every week while at Troy. Besides, if a new student goes to class being homesick will transform into being sick of class.
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