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Simple Tips to Feel at Home (or maybe it’s not simple, but it helps:)

Living abroad as a student is exciting, but it often comes with a heavy dose of homesickness. I’ve felt that emptiness too—missing family dinners, old friends, and the comfort of familiar places. Finding ways to ease that ache can make your experience more enjoyable and help you feel truly at home, even miles away.

What helped me was creating new routines and connections that reminded me of what I love about home. Surrounding myself with supportive people and staying connected with loved ones made a big difference. If you’re struggling, you’re not alone, and there are simple, practical steps you can take to find comfort abroad.

Understanding Homesickness and Its Impact

Homesickness affects many aspects of student life abroad, from daily routines to emotional well-being. It can lead to a mix of physical and mental challenges that often feel overwhelming. But hey, it’s normal we all go through this once in a while, when we are away from people who matter and we love.

 Common Challenges Faced by International Students

Adjusting to a new culture often involves navigating language barriers, unfamiliar social norms, and differing academic expectations. These challenges contribute to feelings of isolation, especially when I couldn’t easily connect with locals or classmates. It’s difficult to make friends. You start with a big group and end up talking to just 3 of them, haha. But remember all of them — whether you still talk to them or not. They helped you get to where you are right now. Their love and support made you strong enough to survive and become independent

Missing familiar food, weather, and routines also adds to the difficulty. Sometimes, simple things like grocery shopping or catching public transportation felt stressful because the systems were so different from home. 

Financial concerns and being far from family support networks make it tougher to manage stress. This combination of small and big challenges often increases my sense of loneliness and nostalgia. And it’s okay to feel this way, and it’s okay if you make a few mistakes along the way. But it gets better, I promise.

Some days, I felt a strong urge to withdraw from new experiences or avoid making new friends. This avoidance can deepen homesickness by limiting opportunities for connection and comfort. Not going to help for a longer period, we need people who stand by us when we are away from our home.

Emotional Effects on Daily Life Abroad

Homesickness can affect motivation and energy levels, making everyday tasks feel more exhausting. For me, simple activities like attending lectures or cooking meals seemed overwhelming at times.

It may cause self-doubt or a feeling of not belonging, which affects confidence in new environments. These emotions can intensify stress and increase feelings of insecurity.

On tougher days, I struggled with mood swings and a sense of being stuck between two worlds, trying to build a new life while missing the old one deeply.

Building a Support Network Abroad

Finding a sense of connection can make a big difference when you’re far from home. I learned that meeting new people and tapping into campus resources were two key ways to build a reliable support system. Talk to people and make new friends once you’re here. And you will make connections that will be with you for the rest of your life.

Making New Friends in a Foreign Country

Go to that party where one person you know is going, you will meet 3 more people there who will talk to you about your life, studies, and part-time job. Part-time jobs also help you meet other students who understand you and you can relate to. You might not make friends everywhere you go, but each person who made you laugh when all you want to do is cry counts, right? 

Language can be a barrier, but showing genuine interest and openness helped me break it down. I found that sharing my own culture and asking about theirs created natural bonding moments. Sometimes, just attending common campus gatherings was enough to meet people casually.

Many universities offer mental health services specifically for international students, which I found valuable during tougher times. Don’t hesitate to use those services if you need to, if you don’t find yourself opening up to your closed ones, and somehow it’s difficult for you, there is always an option to attend therapy. It’s not just for big problems in your life, anything that’s going on in your life is big enough and important enough for you, and talking to someone will help. I understood this later in my life, but don’t be me:)      

Maintaining Connections With Home

Staying in touch with family and friends is crucial for me. I schedule regular video calls or send voice messages to make those connections feel more personal.

I also keep familiar items from home nearby, like photos or small gifts, to remind me of my support system. Social media groups or messaging apps help me stay updated without overwhelming my day.

Setting specific times to connect prevents me from feeling lonely or disconnected. It gives me something to look forward to and creates a sense of stability.

Developing Resilience and Independence

Living abroad pushed me to become more resilient. I had to handle everyday tasks—like managing my finances, navigating public transport, and cooking meals—without immediate support from family or friends. These challenges sometimes felt overwhelming, but they taught me how to solve problems on my own.

I also learned to adjust my mindset when things didn’t go as expected. Instead of getting frustrated, I started viewing setbacks as chances to grow stronger. Resilience, for me, became about staying calm and focused, even when I missed home or faced cultural misunderstandings. It’s not like you will not make mistakes before understanding this, but making mistakes and learning from them is one biggest lessons we learn when we leave our comfort zone.

Celebrating Small Wins and Milestones

Recognizing small achievements made a big difference in staying motivated. Simple things like making a new friend, ordering food successfully in the local language, or finishing a difficult assignment became personal milestones.

You might feel like you’re not doing enough, you don’t have enough friends, and a lot of self-doubt creeps in. That’s okay. We are humans, we compare and everything, and criticize ourselves for not being enough, not achieving as much as others. But remember it’s your journey, you came here for you. Whatever you are doing, it’s taking all the strength and power in you to be here to achieve all the things. It might be a small win for someone else around you, but it might be the best win for you, and that’s what matters the most. Surround yourself with people who support you, try to make you laugh when you cry, when you are stressed, or just listen to you without any judgment. But at the end of the day its you who needs to take care of you.

“People will be there, but don’t lose yourself in the process of making yourself right for other people.”