8 Ways to Overcome Homesickness While Studying Overseas

Studying overseas can be both an exciting and challenging journey where you encounter a varied range of emotions, from happiness to excitement to nervousness to despair. But negative emotions like homesickness take the most toll on our mental health!

Understandably, it is natural to miss your loved ones back home, but it shouldn’t hinder your focus from your primary goal, i.e. pursuing your higher education. So to help you maintain your well-being and concentration throughout your study abroad journey, we have come up with eight effective tips to overcome your homesickness soon!

Take Good Care of Yourself

We understand that initially, it is difficult to adjust to an unfamiliar location due to the varied range of overwhelming emotions that come with it. A sudden change in your everyday life can affect your mental peace. In such times, maintaining a positive outlook and healthy lifestyle is crucial to keep yourself both mentally and physically fit.

So, create a good self-care regime and try to stick to it as much as possible! You must exercise at least 3-4 times a week, take a nutritious diet of fresh fruits and vegetables, rest for 7-8 hours every night, go for a morning or evening walk, drink plenty of water, etc.

Keep Yourself Busy

When you move abroad for your higher education, along with your main goal, i.e., academics, you should also be devoting your time and energy to participating in extracurricular activities at your university.

For that purpose, you should join student clubs and societies, such as drama, media & publication, entrepreneurship, and community service, amongst others! And if you wish to earn some extra pocket money, you can also apply for internships and various part-time jobs.

It is a perfect way to step out of your comfort zone and keep yourself occupied simultaneously. And in no time, you will forget about your homesickness and get acquainted with your new life.

Explore Your Host country

Moving to a new country is like saying ‘yes’ to amazing times and fun-filled adventures. There is plenty to discover, learn, and relish. So what do you wait for? Head out from your fancy New York City apartment or comfortable Nottingham apartment and let yourself immerse fully in the culture of your new country!

You can create a bucket list of all the things you wish to experience before bidding farewell to your host country! From trying out the local cuisine to stopping by the breathtaking landscapes to enjoying the best nightclubs to visiting top museums & art galleries, you have so much to relish than just travelling every day to your university!

Also, don’t forget to click some good pictures and record fun videos with your friends. That way, you will be creating fond memories to cherish forever!

Make Engaging Content on Social Media

You may feel nostalgic while scrolling through your social media handles, like Instagram, seeing how your friends enjoy themselves without you or missing that family brunch every Sunday. Ideally, you must remain away from social media platforms during the initial months after coming to your host country so that you can avoid having FOMO! But this time, we would like to urge you otherwise!

Instead of cribbing that you couldn’t be a part of a certain event back home, you should start making your life more enjoyable here in your host country. And you can accomplish that by making relevant and exciting social media content. So, take advantage of your new location and engage your audience with your fun adventures.

After all, not everyone has the opportunity to go to new places, so make the most of it! Take elegant photos, make entertaining videos, and upload stories of your new home. Show off your exciting life to your audience, but don’t forget to enjoy it yourself first.

Build New Friendships

Interacting with the locals is one of the best aspects of relocating to a new place. While it is imperative to remain in touch with the people of your country, it’s also essential to go beyond your comfort zone and talk to new people. It encourages a rich exchange of cultural values, ideas, and customs that result in long and lasting friendships.

Continue Doing the Things you Love!

Leaving your home does not imply that you must abandon your old hobbies. You must keep doing the things you love, whether it’s Yoga, cooking spaghetti, dancing to pop music, or painting outdoors.

Many hobby classes will be available near your student apartment in London or your university campus; you must enrol immediately! Doing what we enjoy helps us avoid overthinking and, thus, minimising stress. Moreover, you will get the chance to interact with other individuals and even make new acquaintances.

Remain in Touch with Your Dear Ones

You’ve moved to a different city, country, or continent, but you haven’t left the earth. With significant technological breakthroughs in today’s time, it has become possible to stay in touch with our loved ones, even from the remotest parts of the globe. So send each other emails, write long letters or postcards, converse calls, and do facetime.

Everyone enjoys receiving gifts, especially when someone brings you from a foreign place. So send gifts, souvenirs, or items that aren’t available in your home country to your friends and family.

Start Journaling!

Writing your thoughts down in a diary can be beneficial when dealing with stress and worry. It’s an excellent method to let your frustrations out. All you ever need is a journal and a pen to start the process.

Don’t be concerned about legibility or grammatical errors; simply write and release those bottled-up feelings. You can start journaling whenever you feel anxious, but we recommend keeping up the habit and writing as often as possible in the long run.

 

Where to stay when studying abroad?

amber is one of the best international accommodation booking platforms globally, which offers students the best and most inexpensive options for finding a home at their desired location. We are constantly upgraded with the COVID-19 policies, and it would be our delight to help you in your home-hunting journey!

 

 

Author: Harshita Anand completed her post-graduation in English Journalism and her B.Sc in Hotel Management. She believes that diversity is the key ingredient to innovation and success. Therefore, she has been fortunate enough to experience the work culture of many different industries, which sparked her desire to gain more knowledge about the world and write passionately about it!

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