You miss your mom. You miss your friends. You miss your dog’s cuddles and oh, — that random stain on your floor. You miss the way your comforter smells, the way your dad uncaringly saunters in the background of your zoom calls, and you miss when you didn’t have to miss everything. Well, whatever stage of homesickness you’re in, we are here to meet you where you’re at with our seven-step “break up with your home” program.
Step 1: “It’s not you — it’s me.”
The first step to breaking up with your home is allowing yourself to wallow. Look at every old photo there is to see. Eat sugar, ice cream, and pizza. All together. As a sandwich. Dismissing your emotions is never a healthy way to cope. Listening to playlists that match your feelings and make you feel connected and seen are key to validating your emotions and feeling less alone.
Step 2: “I need space.”
Step two helps you recover from everything you put yourself through in step one. Start to create distance by storing away the old photos and any large objects you brought from your ex-house. Cleansing your life of anything that reminds you too much of home is healthy towards getting a new start. Do not creep on your ex-home on social media or compare yourself to other people. In fact, just delete your social media apps and focus on separating yourself.
Find Storage Near You!
Step 3: “Cut them out of your life.”
Wake up at the same time everyday, get dressed in proper clothes, and implement new healthy habits without looking back. When everything is new, count on something to feel the same by creating a routine. Adding journaling to your routine can help you translate emotions to words. It forces you to reflect on how you feel and physically let those words and emotions leave you onto a paper. Plus, it’s another way to track progress throughout your breakup journey.
Step 4: “Explore other relationships.”
It’s time. Homesickness in college isn’t really about missing home; it’s about missing the familiar. Get to know your college campus and nearby areas. Go for a walk, join school organizations, or get a part-time job. The more you explore and the more people you meet, the more familiar things become.
Find Storage Near You!
Step 5: “Remember the good times.”
When you’re ready, bringing out the old photos and sentimental objects from storage gives you closure. Incorporate aspects of your ex-home into your life by hanging up photos and decorating your room until it feels like a new home. Reflect on what you loved and hated about your ex-home to make this one better.
Step 6: “Don’t run back to your ex.”
You don’t need an on-again, off-again situation in your life. The worst thing that you can do when homesick is constantly visiting your ex-home. It’s time to move on. In order to get used to life at college, you have to live there and allow yourself to experience all the growing pains and unfamiliarity. If you find your homesickness is too much to handle, reach out to college resources or your family. Sometimes, homesickness is about more than just missing home. Take care of yourself and check in with your mental health.
Step 7: “Time heals all wounds.”
By the time step seven comes around, you won’t even realize it’s here. As with anything, getting used something new takes time. Before you know it, you’ll be looking forward and completely over your ex-home.
Need a place to store your college items? Find a local CubeSmart storage unit near you!
