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• The Center for Health Promotion & Wellness

Homesickness: An Overview

If you'd like to talk to someone about this subject, please contact MIT Medical's Mental Health Service at 617-253-2916.

The information below is provided by MIT Medical's Center for Health Promotion and Wellness, which offers members of the MIT community specialized health expertise, information, and educational programs.

Homesickness is a natural reaction to a new environment. Signs of homesickness and culture shock can be emotional or physical and include an overwhelming wish to return to familiar routines, locations, and family and friends. If you feel lonely, unfocused, or angry over minor inconveniences, or get unexplained headaches and stomachaches, don’t worry; there are steps you can take to help you adapt to your new environment.

Feeling Blue? Advice on how to adjust

Christopher A. Thurber, a psychologist who studies homesickness, offers the following tips on adjusting to a new environment:

• Don’t get into a cycle of going home every weekend, especially at the beginning of the school year, when social groups form and on-campus relationships develop.
• Don’t alter routines, such as exercise or mealtimes.
• Communicate with family and friends back home through email or old-fashioned letters to avoid the emotional response that talking on the phone can cause.
• Keep a journal. Creating a narrative describing your experiences can be therapeutic.
• Take part in social activities, and explore your new surroundings.
• Bring a “transitional object” from home—a stuffed animal, plant, or photo of family or friends.
• Hang a calendar. Being able to see the days and months ahead helps you realize you will be here for a discrete period of time.
• Maintain a positive attitude. With determination, you can pull yourself out of even the most difficult transition.

—Adapted from The New York Times, July 29, 2007

MIT Medical Can Help

MIT’s Center for Health Promotion & Wellness offers resources and strategies to help you work through your homesickness:

Stay calm. The Center for Health Promotion & Wellness offers classes and materials to help you relax.

• Call 617-253-CALM to be guided through a quick relaxation technique.
• Download an audio file on Meditation for Sleep or Music for Relaxation.
• Sign up for a wellness class such as Mindful Meditation or Gentle Yoga to learn anxiety-reducing techniques.

Eat regular meals, and get enough sleep. Although eating and sleeping can be erratic when you are in a new environment, your mind and body will benefit from regular, healthful meals and enough rest.

• Explore the multimedia library at the Center for Health Promotion & Wellness for resources to learn more about good nutrition and healthy sleep.

Be sociable. Remember that others are going through the same adjustment phase as you. They, too, would probably welcome company. Socializing with new classmates is the first step toward making new friends.

• If you can, get to know other students from your home culture.
• Attend coffee hours, study breaks, and campus events.
• Stay in touch with friends from home.

Get some exercise.Physical activity has been proven to improve mood and focus.

• The Center for Health Promotion & Wellness sponsors classes in yoga, tai chi, and fitness. Classes are offered in a friendly, welcoming atmosphere.

Don’t go it alone. The severity of homesickness can change from day to day (or even hour to hour). There is a range of supports on campus that can help you, whatever your degree of homesickness.

• Visit your residence area MedLink for help in dealing with your homesickness.
• Counselors at MIT Medical’s Mental Health Service, on the 3rd floor of MIT Medical (E23) can help you manage homesickness and other personal problems. You do not have to be in a crisis to make an appointment. Call 617-253-2916 or, for more urgent needs, the Mental Health Service has walk-in hours every weekday afternoon from 2 to 4 p.m. Your visit to MIT Medical Mental Health is confidential.
• If you are the spouse or partner of an MIT student, staff, or faculty member, become familiar with MIT’s spouses&partners@mit program. spouses&partners@mit is a support and resource network for newcomers from all over the world.

Professionals at the Center for Health Promotion & Wellness are available to answer your questions and direct you to more resources to help you work through your homesickness. Visit the center in E23-205, or call 617-253-1316.

Related links

Mental Health America