How to Recover From Being Homesick

Whether you are a kid at a slumber party, a teenager away at camp, a college student studying abroad, or an adult away from home, everyone can relate to feeling homesick. If you are away for an extended period, being away from family, friends, and the comforts of home can be extremely difficult.

Instructions

1. Immerse yourself in your environment. If you are at camp, take advantage of the nature and your surroundings. Participate in sports, hikes, and tours. When you are engaged in activities, the feelings of homesickness faded away. If you are in a foreign country, learn about the culture and your environment. By taking in any new experience, the feelings of homesickness will vanish.

2. Take the focus off yourself by focusing on others. If you are feeling homesick, you can deflect those feelings by showing interest in others. Go out of your way to make friends and ask them questions about themselves and where they came from.

3. Keep in touch with people from home. Try writing letters or postcards, emailing and using phone cards. Knowing that you have the support of family and friends back home help relieve feelings of homesickness.

4. Find the right balance. Don’t be too dependent on reminders from home. If you are constantly clinging to pictures, calling home all the time and thinking about how much you miss home, you only perpetuate any feelings of homesickness. A few reminders from home can be a great source of comfort, as long as you don’t become dependent on them.