Feeling homesick? Here’s our guide for beating the boarding school blues

It seems long since you unpacked your suitcase in your hostel room, said goodbye to your parents, and you’re finally queued up for all the boarding school adventures that have been on your mind for the last few weeks (OK, more like the last decade). You’re starting to get into the swing of the things when, all of a sudden, a little sprout of sadness starts growing deep inside your chest. Your heart feels heavy. You have an overwhelming urge to crawl into bed and watch your favourite movies. You wish you could call home every other hour. In fact, you start to feel like you want to go home. What’s happening here?!

If you’re experiencing these symptoms, we hate to be the ones to break it to you: You’ve got a serious case of homesickness. But don’t worry! It happens to the best of us, and it’s temporary and very curable. Read on for our best tips on how to ditch the blues so you can get back to enjoying your new-found independence.

First, you have to admit you’re missing home.
It’s weird, but homesickness has an upside: It allows you to appreciate things like mum-cooked meals and spending time with your family. Once you’ve owned up to pining for your parents and childhood bedroom, we recommend setting up a time to call home once a week to tell your friends and family how much you miss them. Often, part of homesickness is feeling guilty about moving on, even when it’s what your family wants for you (and what you want for yourself). It can also be helpful to write down why you’re feeling homesick: Is it because you really wish you were back, or because you’re a little anxious about your new life? Take a closer look: Most of the time, it’s just the pain of starting something new.

Get really social
We get it—meeting new people isn’t always easy. But banishing homesickness sometimes means tapping into your inner social butterfly-ness and getting to know a new group of people. Also, remembering that you’re surrounded by other students who are likely going through the same thing might help to pull you out of your sad slump. Make conversation with room-mates (they’ll hang around all year, so you might as well start early) or neighbours, go to a few study groups, join a book club, play an intramural sport, or attend an interesting event. If you force yourself to talk to a couple new people every day, you’re bound to find common ground with at least some of them—and that can help you feel like you’re building your friend-family.

Remember: These are the days you should stay busy.
A jam-packed schedule (which, between class and homework and new semester activities, isn’t something you really have to work hard at building) is one way to keep your brain from dwelling on how much you wish you could see your siblings. Make a schedule and stick to it: Wake up early, take some tea, study at the library, go to class, attend a study group, meet up with a friend, etc. Not only will this keep you distracted (and on top of your work), it will also help you start to feel like a “regular” around spots in your new environment and so you won’t have a reason to feel homesick.

Get out of your comfort zone.
Whether you decide this is the year you’re going to learn Guitar, using your brain for new skills will keep you so engaged that you’ll forget to miss home—plus help you develop a new normal. Recreational classes are also a good way to meet new people since they often lead to teamwork or larger projects. Another key part of being happy is feeling motivated and excited for future plans (and the entire better if you’re tackling them with new friends!).

Fake it ’til you make it.
If all else fails, pretend you are the happiest, peppiest person—someone who’s excited about her new life—and act accordingly. Would a person living life to the fullest stay at home and mope alone while scrolling through Instagram and Facebook? Nope! It sounds silly, but if you join in, make small talk with people in library, smile a lot, and throw yourself into new projects, you’ll find that after a little while, you won’t even be faking it anymore (although we’re definitely not saying you shouldn’t reach out for help. School Counsellors are always available when you’re feeling a bit blue, and you’re paying for them anyway, so put them to use!). Before long, homesickness will be a distant memory.