Homesickness

Homesickness is a common experience for many students during their transition to post-secondary. It’s a time when many different emotions come together – the excitement of being on campus and meeting new people, curiosity about your new environment and potential opportunities, anxiousness about leaving home and having to rebuild connections, and stress around being on your own for potentially the first time, to name a few. This separation from home (where home can be your house, neighbourhood, city, and/or country), whether you’re 20 minutes or 20 hours away, can bring about the distressing feeling of homesickness, which can impact your mental health and wellbeing.¹

Studies suggest that homesickness negatively affects students’ ability to adjust to their new social environment (i.e., campus), which can lead to poorer social and academic outcomes.¹ But a longitudinal study of undergraduate students found that over time, in their first semester, feelings of homesickness declines as students begin to adjust to their new environment, establish a routine, and become more socialized.¹

Common symptoms of homesickness can include²:

• Changes in mood (increased anger and irritability)
• Lower energy and motivation
• Feelings of helplessness/hopelessness
• Changes in weight (not eating enough/overeating)
• Lack of interest in activities/hobbies that were once enjoyed

Potential impacts of homesickness can include^1,3:

• Academic difficulties: lower concentration levels, and reduced focus and productivity
• Social isolation: adjusting to a new environment while also trying to make friends can feel like an isolating
• Emotional response: jealousy/envy of those who have family nearby to reach out and/or visit, increasing feelings of isolation
• Emotional distress: anxiety, stress, depression, and loneliness
• Physical effects: lack of sleep, headaches, fatigue, and lack of appetite

To better understand homesickness, the Four Stages of Settling framework identifies four key stages you may encounter when relocating to a new environment⁴:

• Exhilaration
  • Once you’ve moved to your new home, there can be feelings of joy and excitement as you begin to explore your new environment and discover what you are surrounded by
• New Routines
  • This stage involves the more logistical pieces of adjusting to a new environment (commuting schedules, locating the nearest grocery store, household tasks)
• Emotional Projection
  • This stage may involve an unfavorable comparison between your new environment and the one you left behind, leading you to project your feelings about it onto something else. An example of this could be constantly complaining about your new apartment, not because there is anything wrong with it, but because you’re feeling overwhelmed with homesickness. Your feelings about one thing (homesickness) are being attributed to something else (your new apartment). This is a normal feeling, but don’t forget to acknowledge these emotions and allow yourself the time and space to feel them
• Settled
  • This is when you start to feel settled into your new environment. You have successfully integrated into the community, established routines and connections, and your new environment now provides you with that sense of comfort and familiarity you were missing at the beginning of your moving journey

Ways to Support Homesick Students

• Offer validation and empathy
  • Acknowledge that homesickness is a common student experience and that their feelings are valid
• Connect them with campus and community resources
  • Help connect students to services on campus (i.e., peer support, counselling, support groups) and off-campus (i.e., community groups) that can provide students with guidance and support
• Create a welcoming environment
  • Engage in active listening skills to promote a safe space for students and allow space for open communication

How to Deal with Homesickness

Acknowledge and validate your feelings

Recognize that you’re feeling homesick and validate that feeling by telling yourself it’s okay to feel this way. Being homesick means you have meaningful connections with people and places that you have left behind. It’s a bittersweet feeling to have formed connections and roots in one place, which is a very profound and beautiful thing, only to then leave it and attempt to rebuild that elsewhere. There may also be some economic, logistical, and practical realities that make visiting home difficult or sometimes impossible, which can be hard to face (i.e., transportation/travel costs, current socio-political climate, visa restrictions, school/work commitments).  

Bring a piece of home with you

Whether that be a homemade mug, photo album, piece of jewelry, a book, a blanket a family member made for you, or any other type of keepsake you’ve received from someone close to you, decorate and fill your new space with items that remind you of home to give you a sense of comfort and familiarity. Having these little pieces of home scattered throughout your new environment can help you feel more connected, hold onto your identity, and reduce feelings of loneliness, reminding you that you have people in your life who love and support you.

Establish a communication plan with your friends and family

Stay connected with your friends and family by co-creating a communication plan (i.e., phone call, video chat, voice notes, sharing pictures, sending care packages) to stay updated on each other’s lives. Regular communication with those you miss can help to maintain a sense of normalcy and connection.

Get your body moving

There are many ways to get your body moving (walking, running, playing sports), all of which can impact your mood, stress levels, and feelings of homesickness. Taking a walk around your new environment is a great way to clear your head and familiarize yourself with your surroundings. Maybe you’ll stumble upon your new favourite place, like a cafe or park, while you reconnect with nature.

Build new connections on and off campus

Being in a new environment can be overwhelming, but engaging with campus life through a club or organization (i.e., sports, peer support, craft club) can help you become familiar with your surroundings and become integrated into the campus community. If you are an international student, consider connecting with other international students to build a support network. You can also look to build new connections off campus. Seek out local community clubs, support groups, Indigenous Friendship Centres, etc., to meet and connect with others.

Establish a routine

Being on campus away from home means having to rebuild your daily routine. This type of disruption can build upon pre-existing feelings of homesickness. When possible, incorporate as many pieces of your old routine into your new one to maintain a sense of normalcy and familiarity (e.g., reading before bed, cooking traditional meals, engaging in cultural practice(s), waking up at the same time, and continuing with your exercise). Maintaining some familiar pieces of your routine will help you get settled and improve your overall wellness.

Give yourself some time to adjust

There is no set timeline for adjusting to homesickness, and the duration will vary for everyone. It may be helpful to pay attention to when you feel homesick – is it a particular time of day? While doing a specific activity? Having this knowledge could help you build out targeted coping strategies to help you through the ebbs and flows of adjusting to a new environment and being mindful of how you do so. Homesickness is a common feeling among post-secondary students, so it’s important to be patient and allow yourself time (however long that may be) to adjust to your new environment.

Seek out campus support

Take the time to learn about what supports are available on your campus. Talk to your campus’s wellness department to learn more about the programs your campus offers and the types of services as well (i.e., support groups, peer support, Elder support, counselling).

References

1. English T, Davis J, Wei M, Gross JJ. Homesickness and adjustment across the first year of college: A longitudinal study. Emotion. 2017 Oct 24;17(1):1–5. doi:10.1037/emo0000235[↩][↩][↩][↩]
2. Yorkville University [Internet]. 2020 [cited 2025]. Available from: https://success.yorkvilleu.ca/wp-content/uploads/COBR-0012-Tip-Sheets-Homesickness-04202020.pdf[↩]
3. Canadian Society for Medical Laboratory Science. I am a student [Internet]. [cited 2025 May 26]. Available from: https://mentalhealth.csmls.org/i-am-a-student/#:~:text=Homesickness%20is%20a%20perceived%20loss,feeling%20hurt%20or%20anger%202.&text=What%20Happens%20To%20Your%20Mind%20And%20Body%20When%20You%20Feel%20Homesick[↩]
4. Sharrow E. Relocated: Four stages of settling [Internet]. Medium; 2019 [cited 2025]. Available from: https://edsharrow.medium.com/relocated-four-stages-of-settling-697078a7cb93[↩]