One of the biggest struggles young individuals face when entering college is homesickness. Unless the student grew up locally, they are moving away from home and friends in the name of higher education. College can be very stressful and homesickness can make it harder. The following list will help to manage the feelings of longing to be home.

Bring home with you

You can’t exactly box up your house and then unpack it in your dorm room. However, you can select a few special items that remind you of home and loved ones. When classes or life start feeling particularly difficult, simply holding onto something from home and reliving good memories can be very helpful.

Bring people with you

Just like your house, you can’t actually pack your favorite loved ones. Yet loved ones play a vital role in homesickness. While physical locations may have special meaning, when individuals say they are homesick, usually it means they are peoplesick. It is natural to miss the ones that mattered most, and having to face challenges without your favorite person(s) may seem like too much.

While you may not be able to bring your dearest loved ones with you to college, you can can bring their pictures. Set up the pictures in your dorm room and carry them with you in your notebooks. Simply seeing their smiling faces can make a big difference. At challenging times, taking some personal time to talk to the images as if the loved one were there beside you can be therapeutic.

Call home frequently

We don’t live in bygone times where the sole source of communication was through the post office. Instead, we walk around with devices that can connect us across the world at the touch of a button. Use your smartphone for more than Facebook political debates and Snapchat stories; dial home and have a real conversation with friends and family. Hearing their voices will have a positive impact on your psyche.

Make new friends

It’s a lot easier to deal with being separated from home if you avoid isolation. There are approximately 11,000 fellow students at Colorado Mesa University, many of which will share your major and interests. Get to know your classmates through study groups, cafeteria sessions and the nearly guaranteed group projects. Friendships will naturally form from such interactions.

Some may feel like forming new friendships is somehow a betrayal of friends back home. That is not the case. Think of it as expanding your friendship circle rather than replacing friends. You will still have friends at home and you will still miss them. However, companionship where at your physical location will make it easier to get through your studies until you can return home during breaks.

Get involved

There are many clubs and organizations on campus. Most of them engage in activities, events and philanthropy. Participation in clubs and organizations not only helps to make friends, it also provides the opportunity for enjoyable diversion from homesickness.

Focus on the big picture

Placing your focus on what you miss is a surefire way to be miserable in college. Instead, try to keep your focus on why you are attending CMU. Your studies are taking you forward in life towards whichever career path you have chosen. You are learning valuable things that will shape your future. Look forward rather than back; focus on the positive rather than the negative feelings.

None of the previously mentioned techniques will eliminate homesick feelings. However, they will help reduce the severity of those feelings and positively manage living away from home in a stressful environment.