Remedies for Homesickness

My friends from home recently spent time at the National Peanut Festival in Dothan, Alabama. They rode thrilling rides, ate boiled peanuts, went to beauty pageants, and saw great concerts. I was unable to attend for the second year in a row.

It's the little things that make me miss home. I won't be the one to start decorating the house for Christmas, which makes me especially sad. When I got last week's newspaper, I browsed over the obituaries (not expecting any familiar names) and noticed that a man that I have known basically forever passed away. It was surprising and it made me think about the things I was missing.

I'm actually very good at not getting homesick. I budget out time to go home on some weekends, and I keep pictures up of my family and friends that remind me of the people I love and miss. Usually the pictures keep me from getting homesick.

But the simple truth is that when I have a bad day/week/month, I can fall straight into homesickness. When this happens, I have a few things that I do to ease the homesickness.

First, I stay busy. When I have a really busy week, I can keep my mind off of missing home. I have band as an outlet to help me stay busy when the schoolwork isn't weighing me down. If you're homesick, try joining a group that will occupy a few hours of your time each week... it can make your week less monotonous.

Second, I like to call home via webcam. Many of my family members have webcams (even my grandmother)! We use Yahoo chat and visit with each other every once in a while. My mom sometimes puts my pets on the camera, and I can watch them run around just like I would if I was at home.

Finally, the fun stuff. Letting loose is always a good way to cut back on stress and homesickness. You are probably less likely to miss home if you are laughing about a funny video or hanging out with a few people from the neighborhood. Pick up a fun hobby, and meet new people.

I asked a few of my friends what they do when they get homesick. Here are Valerie, Amber, Courtney, Colleen, and Maggie to give you their answers.