Homesickness: The unfortunate side effect of studying abroad Experiencing homesickness while you are living abroad is inevitable. After the initial honeymoon period of your time overseas, you will begin to miss what is normal and what is familiar to you. This could result in mood swings, insecurity, crying, lack of motivation and irritability, just to name a few symptoms, however the most important thing to remember is that it is completely normal. Every student who has lived overseas will have experienced homesickness in one form or another, so here are just a few tips to help you. Get out of bed. Even though you will probably feel like staying in your room and hiding away from the outside world, the best thing you can do to overcome it is …show more content…
Love music? Become a festival volunteer. A keen environmentalist? Clean up your local park or join a tree planting group. Offer to walk people’s dogs or help out at the local library. Discover something that you are passionate about or love to do and you’ll find that it will go a long way to distracting you from your worries. Plus, it will look great on your resume. Be a tourist. If you need a distraction and your studies just aren’t doing the job, go and explore your new city. Visit the tourist spots and see the famous sights, making sure you take plenty of photos to show everyone back home. Keep a look out for the hidden gems as you wander the streets. This will help you fall in love with the place just a little bit more and telling all of your friends about what you found will help remind you about what a great experience you are having. Find a job. As a student, this is pretty much a necessity these days if you are going to support yourself, however apart from the pay check, having a casual job can do wonders for your mental health. Keep an eye in shop windows, local newspapers and employment websites for jobs that you think you may enjoy. This can also be a great way of meeting new