Being homesick is very common among college students. If you feel sad and lonely, think about people at home all the time, want to go home every weekend, and just feel generally depressed, then you are probably homesick. Fortunately, there are ways to cope with it. The following tips should help you overcome your feelings of homesickness.

Get involved. Being involved in school activities will keep you busy, therefore reducing your time to be homesick. Join a sorority or fraternity. Participate in intramural sports. Attend campus events. Not only will these activities keep you busy and reduce your time to be homesick, but they will also allow you to meet more people and make new friends. The more friends you make at college, the less homesick you will feel.

Explore. Get to know your campus and surrounding community by walking around. You will discover places where you feel comfortable hanging out. Once your environment becomes familiar to you, your feelings of homesickness should start to diminish.

Find a new hobby. To help take your mind off of home, get involved in a new hobby. Consider arts and crafts or an outdoor activity. Try to find a buddy who is interested in pursuing a new hobby too, so you will have someone to share it with.

Display familiar items. Having familiar items from home displayed around your dorm room will make your environment feel more comfortable. Put up pictures of your family, friends, and pets from home, along with pictures of new friends that you have made at college. If you have a stuffed animal, doll, or blankie that reminds you of home, it's okay to display it on your bed. Try to make your dorm room as relaxing and cozy as your bedroom at home.

Keep in touch with family and friends. Keep in touch with your family and friends from home through phone calls, e-mails, letters, etc. Just try not to call home everyday because that might make you feel worse and increase your feelings of homesickness.

Plan a visit home. Try to avoid impulse visits home. It's better to plan your trips, so you aren't tempted to go home every weekend. Try to limit your visits home to about three times per semester.

Write in a journal. It's amazing how much better you will feel if you get your thoughts down on paper. Putting your feelings on paper may allow you to see why you are homesick, and then you will be able to focus on ways to overcome it.

Share your feelings with others. Many college students, especially freshmen, experience feelings of homesickness. If you share your feelings with your peers, you will find that you are not alone. Talking about your feelings with others who feel the same way will not only help you connect with those students, but it will also help you find more ways to adjust to college life.

Keep in mind that your feelings of homesickness will go away eventually. As you get used to your new surroundings, you will grow more comfortable in your college environment. Hang in there!