Sick of home
We’ve all been there: so sick of home in the last year of high school that we couldn’t wait for university to start and a chance to disintegrate the boredom. Then, the unthinkable creeps in, a little mouse of homesickness burrowing safely between our ribs. Its feeding is slow at first until we’re left with one less bone, and the feeling of loss wracks through us. This feeling has occurred to us all.
Homesick
As an international student, I was 9400 km-sick-of-home. Travelling across continents and hemispheres, I couldn’t get far enough. I wanted a big change: culture, architecture, food (though that last one might have been overzealous of me). And yet, the prickling sensation of loss has sunk its claws into even me. Now, that 9400 km is achingly far away. However, people from closer places, like other parts of the UK, and even students who grew up in Durham, feel homesick.
The science says
Science says we feel homesickness because our brain misses routine, security, and stability. Humans do not like change; it is against our nature. No matter where you are from, going to university is different from your normal environment, and perhaps you just miss the way things used to be.
To say I miss you in French, we say tu me manques, which translates to: you are missing from me. This is exactly how it feels to miss home. The city we grew up in weaved around our bones like flowering vines. Yes, it was suffocation at times, but it was a garden that we tended since childhood. To snip the roses of comfort left us with nothing but dead roots, and though we might be ready to sew new seeds for a more beautiful, fulfilling garden, we are afraid of the barrenness left behind, the winter before the spring.
This is normal
We are allowed to be excited and terrified at the same time. This feeling is what roller-coaster enthusiasts crave, so take it from them and enjoy the ride. The sense of loneliness means you left something good behind, but it doesn’t mean that the future to come won’t be better.
If you feel homesick, there are some things you can do to help ease the ache. Firstly, you could talk to one of your friends at university. You could comfort each other while experiencing the same thing. Secondly, you could get back into a similar routine that you had at home, creating stability for your brain once more. Lastly and most importantly, you should get involved in your new community. My father always said, “When in doubt, reach out.” Though this mantra is tiresome to me, he had a point. Meet other people and dive headfirst into this new experience.
Remember: feeling homesick is completely normal, so reminisce. But don’t let the nostalgia take away from the present. One day, you might even be university-sick.
Discover more
Download our latest prospectus and college guide here.
Follow The Durham Student on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.
