Operation Beautiful - Hope College Facebook Page

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Operation-Beautiful-Hope-College/129761103793432

Homesick?

Being homesick in college is more common than most students want to admit. With these 5 tips, however, dealing with it can be a little easier.

• Call home. This may sound like common sense, but it can really help. The key factor, however, is not to call home all of the time. Don't call more than once a day, and keep the conversation positive. But if you miss your friends, family, boyfriend, or girlfriend, giving them a call can sometimes help ease the heartache.

• Go visit home -- once. Visiting home can be a great way to recharge yourself and get some of that TLC (not to mention home cooking) that you need. But going home too often can frequently make homesickness worse. Let yourself go home when you need it, but make sure it doesn't turn into an every-weekend occurrence.
• Go out with your college friends. Sometimes, a night out with your college friends can do wonders for homesickness. It can take your mind off of things back home, can help you relax and have a good time, and can reinforce relationships that will make your school feel like home sometime soon.
• Call a friend from back home. Chances are that your group of friends spread out as each of you went to different colleges. And chances are that your group of friends is missing each other. Give a friend from home a call and catch up for a little while. It may do wonders for your homesickness to just touch base for a quick phone call.
• Get out of your room. It's incredibly easy to hide in your room in college. But doing so prevents you from meeting new people, trying new things, and experiencing college life in general. You didn't go to school to hide in your room, right? Make sure to spend large chunks of your time out of your room -- even if it's just at a campus coffee shop, the quad, or the library -- and get your mind on other things. You never know what might happen, but you do know that it won't happen if you're alone in your room all the time.

 

Thriving in a time of change Physical: Taking time to take care of yourself

• Sleep regular hours – and more hours than you think – try 8 to 9 hours a night.
• Eat a balanced diet at regular intervals – even if you are not hungry.
• Avoid using food as an escape – chocolate is not always the answer.
• Exercise moderately each day – a brisk walk is just fine.

Stress prepares people physically for fight or flight. Regular exercise is an effective way to release this energy. Without this release, the energy may be turned inward, creating fatigue, turned outward, where it may even create conflict in your relationships.

Emotional: Managing our feelings
Recognize what you can and cannot control. You may not have much control over the decisions that have been made, but you can control many things in your day to day life.

Information can give you a sense of control. Gather information about the plans for change – keep up to date, attend information sessions, and ask questions.

Other ways to gain a sense of control over your life are:
• Create a schedule for self-nurturing and recreation and stick to it!
• Escape in healthy ways (walking on the beach, movies, house or yard projects).
• Talk about your feelings with people who are able to really listen.
• Avoid talking with people who are only negative and pessimistic.
•  Understand that people may have different opinions, but we can be respectful.

Express yourself creatively –
• Start a journal, write poetry, create art, sing and dance to your favorite music.
•  Reach out to friends and colleagues in positive ways.
• Set aside a special time each day for silence, reflection, and relaxation.