Advice on dealing with missing home from a freshie with a hometown of Very Far Away.

Do NOT do any of these things… I mean it…

• Bawl and avoid doing your hw, then stay up all night finishing it because you procrastinated until 11 pm, and repeat! 
• Worry your parents by randomly calling them late at night midway into the semester sobbing into the phone 
• Consequently, get encouraging texts from parents trying to cheer you up, except your dad is not emotionally mature and implies that his problems are greater than yours 
• Binge eat at JJs every time you feel lonely and feel bad about your body image in the morning 
• Go on countless Hinge dates to try and cope with your loneliness, but realize it’s not working
• Bury yourself into your work and lock in so hard you forget to go out on weekends and take care of yourself 
• Brag about how you were at Butler until the sun rose
• Feel intense FOMO every time people go out on Thursdays … and Fridays… and Saturdays 
• Compare yourself to others and feel bad because you feel like you have less friends, less brains, less everything

Things you CAN do and should!!

• Talk to a therapist or counselor on campus about how you’re feeling
• Build up a support system you can rely on with your friends and college community
• Join clubs and volunteer!
• Don’t let your emotions bottle up — it’s okay to feel negative things!! 
• Take care of yourself and find something fulfilling for you 
• Consider taking up meditation 🧘 
• …Or even go for a stroll in Riverside Park
• Fuel yourself with regular meals and don’t forget to eat breakfast
• Hydrate — people forget that water does a lot to make your body feel physically better 
• Try NOT to go to sleep at ungodly hours 
• Make sure you aren’t isolating yourself or burying yourself in work, your life should NOT be spent in Butler until 5 am!
• Go home for Thanksgiving (hopefully) and realize the world is not over

Disclaimer: Not based on author’s personal experiences

Sad cowboy image via Bwog Archives