How to deal with homesickness?

[impendingdoom]

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Hi y'all

Does anyone have any advice on how to deal with homesickness?

Im from a state that boarders one of the great lakes and I've spent basically my whole life on said great lake. Im going out of state for med school in a Midwest state thats known for corn way more than its known for bodies of water lol. Luckily, the college town of the med school reminds me of my hometown, but I'm pretty sure Im going to get very homesick at some point (and just going home isnt an option as its like an 8+ hr drive)

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

Make it your new hometown. Find a couple things you enjoy there and do them regularly. Basically, you need to embrace the place and make it your own.

 

[SangriaSalsa]

Continue your hobbies in the new town. Get in a schedule and don't be afraid to explore. Join clubs and be social

 

[bubba21]

I went out of state (like waaaaaaaaaay out of state) for undergrad. Homesickness at times is inevitable, but a few ways I've found to deal with it:

(1) Keeping busy (which shouldn't be a problem in med school!). If you find yourself with free time, go out with friends, work on a hobby, go on an adventure. That homesick feeling usually only sets in when you're idle.
(2) Facetiming my family. Technology is awesome. I Facetime my mom and dad and make them put their computer at "my" seat at the dinner table so it feels like there with them.
(3) Reminding myself how lucky I am that I now (after 4 years in this strange state) have two places that feel like home.

 

[Tchotchke]

There is a lot of anxiety before starting school. I've been there, i think most of have been there. Once you get there, you'll find tons of really friendly people in your class who are also far from home. Be open to hanging out with them, joining school clubs and immersing yourself in this amazing opportunity. I also recommend scheduling Facetime/phonecall (what @bubba21 said) with your famjam!

 

[Lawpy]

Does anyone have any advice on how to deal with homesickness?

@ekmf27050 has good advice: Extremely homesick, only an M1and already worried about matching back

No advice to give on matching, but definitely some advice for homesickness- I moved a couple thousand miles from home for college, and definitely was culture shocked for a while. I've learned to do what I term "nesting" 😛 to help with homesickness.
- make your living space warm/pretty/enjoyable to be in; hang up pictures all over one wall, put up string lights, whatever- give yourself a nice place to come home to after a long day
- find good local places that you enjoy going to; a coffee shop, a chinese restaurant, and a diner are my big three
- join some sort of team/club/group; bonus if you like doing a sport, it automatically gives you group interaction and exercise endorphins

And the final reminder: Hang in there, it will get better! That feeling in the pit of your stomach will ease up over time and one day you'll notice it's not there anymore, and you've probably picked up an accent for words like "car" and "coffee" 😉

 

[ekmf27050]

@ekmf27050 has good advice: Extremely homesick, only an M1and already worried about matching back

Thanks @Lawper ! 🙂
OP, I'm getting ready to do the same cross-country move in reverse for medical school, so I'm right there with you. And so are a ton of people starting school this fall. We're all in it together!

 

[doc05]

The flyover states are all the same. You will be fine!

 

[ekmf27050]

The flyover states are all the same. You will be fine!

One of my first memories on the East Coast is a classmate, in his thick New York accent, demanding to know if I liked potatoes because I was from Iowa.
1) Obviously I like potatoes, because potatoes are amazing
2) Liking potatoes has nothing to do with whether your state grows potatoes
3) Iowa does not grow potatoes, that would be Idaho

 

[LizzyM]

One of my first memories on the East Coast is a classmate, in his thick New York accent, demanding to know if I liked potatoes because I was from Iowa.
1) Obviously I like potatoes, because potatoes are amazing
2) Liking potatoes has nothing to do with whether your state grows potatoes
3) Iowa does not grow potatoes, that would be Idaho

New Yawkers view of the world hasn't changed in >40 years...

 

[ekmf27050]

New Yawkers view of the world hasn't changed in >40 years...

My personal favorite from Raygun:

 

[Vladimir7]

y'all talking bout this same Iowa?? More like "I o wanna be here" (Kidding, ofcourse)

 

[DPTinthemaking15]

It is either too late, or I am looking for drama, because I thought this post said "How to deal with homewreckers." Sigh... Bedtime it is.


Anyways, OP. My wife and I moved away from our hometown and it has been killing us, but we do our best to get out and explore.

 

[impendingdoom]

Thanks for the advice everyone!
PS Not hating on the midwest! Im from the midwest too (my state just has more lakes)

 

[Goro]

New Yawkers view of the world hasn't changed in >40 years...

Yup. That's about it.

 

[ekmf27050]

Thanks for the advice everyone!
PS Not hating on the midwest! Im from the midwest too (my state just has more lakes)

If you're going to Iowa, the Iowans will happily tell you all about Clear Lake, and boating on Clear Lake, and tubing on Clear Lake, and drinking beers while tubing on Clear Lake...

If you're not going to Iowa I can't help you bud 😉

 

[Rooster Booster]

If you're going to Iowa, the Iowans will happily tell you all about Clear Lake, and boating on Clear Lake, and tubing on Clear Lake, and drinking beers while tubing on Clear Lake...

If you're not going to Iowa I can't help you bud 😉

Is there anything you can't do on Clear Lake? lol

 

[Durty-Trixxx]

Homesickness eventually affects everyone --- esp. during MS1 when you are new to med school and a new environment with new people around you. So don't feel bad if it happens because it's perfectly normal.

Like others have mentioned --- try to be social in class and maybe try to make friends outside of class. Even if it's as simple as becoming friends with your landlord or neighbor and enjoying a beer and idle conversation with them once a week, you'd be amazed how much this can alleviate stress and homesick feelings. Go hang out at Starbucks or Panera Bread for studying maybe two nights a week just to be around people who are not your classmates. Of course, modern tech like Facetime and Skype can really help by letting you see/talk with parents, siblings, friends back in the hometown.

The worst thing you can do is sulk all alone in your apartment every night and let the stress and depression get worse. You'll feel yourself slipping deeper into the abyss and that is not a place you wanna be.