You are entering college, a new world. You have left everything that is familiar to you behind, including, your family, friends, and school, community and your dog and cat. You may be an hour away by car or six hours away by plane. You are feeling out of sorts, lonely, too much time on your hands, awkward, etc…. Your roommates are not saying any of this out loud and neither are you.

You want to call home and tell your parents that you just made the biggest mistake of your life and they should get in the car immediately or send you a ticket to come home. However, as you look around at the upper classmen, they look like they are okay, have it all together, wow- they even have friends! You are determined to figure out what is going on with you. “Why am I so homesick?” you wonder.

The first thing I want you to know is that your feelings are 100% normal and that the majority of freshman are experiencing exactly the same thing that you are. I have put together for you a list of things you can do to feel better. This is not a recipe, with each ingredient dependent on the other, rather these are choices you can make to make this huge transition into college life and get rid of the homesick blues.

o Talk with your roommates about what you are feeling. Most likely they are feeling it, too.

o Stay in touch with your family and friends, but not in place of college activities.

o Write an email to a friend at another college and share your feelings, compare notes.

o Do something you enjoy like, exercise, art, writing, reading, and taking a walk. Don’t sit around your dorm room alone waiting for life to happen.

o Ask someone to go the cafeteria with you for a meal. No one wants to eat alone.

o Try to eat in moderation (watch the junk food), get enough sleep (invest in a good set of earplugs) and watch your intake of alcohol and drugs, which can all act as depressants. (In your effort to take a break from your depressive thoughts, using drugs can throw you into even a more depressed mood.)

o Give your self-time, don’t put yourself down. You are entering a new phase of your life.

Sometimes teens can’t get going. If you feel that you need an extra push, nudge, support, consider a free Teen Life Coaching session. In one 45-minute call you could develop a plan to help you on your way to ridding the College Homesick Blues.

Susan Epstein, an expert in child development, works with parents seeking satisfaction, balance and growth. Get a free teen life coach consult.

For more parenting help, visit Parenting Power