Going into your freshman year in college can be really scary. You are leaving your childhood home, your closest family members, and your childhood friends, and starting a completely new life. As an athlete, you will probably have to leave home earlier than any of your other hometown friends, which can be really hard. All of a sudden, you get dropped off at this totally new place and you have to make friends and go to class? It can be really hard to leave everything you know behind, so here are some tips to help with homesickness as an athlete:

1. Bring pictures with you!

It's one thing to have pictures on your phone of your family and friends, but there's something more meaningful about having real printed pictures. If you are the more sentimental type, you can make a photo wall next to your bed or desk, or you can just leave them in a drawer somewhere. Nevertheless, it's important to remember all the people that support you and helped you get to where you are. It might feel lonely at first, but you always have people rooting for you from farther away. 

2. Video calls

We are lucky enough to live in a time where you can talk to your family and friends no matter how far away you are. Schedule time to talk to them or just call them up whenever you need to chat. They are always just a phone call away!

3. Have a routine 

One nice thing about being a college athlete is that you have a pretty tight schedule. Your lifts, classes, practices, games, team dinners, etc., are all scheduled for you. You will be able to get into a routine pretty easily. You won't have much downtime besides some short breaks throughout the day and after dinner. This will allow you to get used to college quicker than other non-athlete students might.

4. Find out what games are closest to home

If you are an international student or go to college across the country from your hometown, this might not be an option for you, however, if possible, see if your family and friends could come to a few of your games or competitions. Having the closest people to you watch your games and getting to celebrate with them after is always very special.

5. Connect with your team

You are going to be spending a ton of time with your team, and making new friends is going to be really good for your homesickness. Go to your teammates' dorm rooms, go get food, eat at the dining hall together, whatever it takes for you to make friends with your teammates.

6. Find food that reminds you of home

One thing that all athletes can relate to is their love of food. Think about what your favorite postgame and pregame meals were growing up. What food did you always ask for on special occasions? If you can think of those, then try to branch out and find a restaurant that serves something similar. If you can't find anything, then go out and get the ingredients to make it yourself! Food can bring you so much comfort if you are lonely and missing home. If you can't go home, then bring the home to you!

7. Exercise

Lucky enough for you as a college athlete, you will have mandatory exercise every day of the week! This can be a great outlet to either get all your emotions out during practice or games or to just forget all the feelings you have been having and allow yourself to enjoy the sport that you have been doing since you were a kid.  

8. Step out of your comfort zone

This is always easier said than done, but once you start to force yourself to talk to new people and try new things, you can start to build a new home at school which will help with any homesickness you have. If the only social interaction you are getting each day is when you call your parents, you should probably force yourself to branch out more. Go out with your teammates, talk to people in your classes, and see how many new people you can connect with.

9. See a therapist

If you feel like your homesickness isn't getting any better, you should consider talking to a professional about it. Your school likely offers free counseling sessions or your athletic department might have a sports psychologist. You are not the only person going through this, so talking to a professional can't hurt.

* Originally published on August 9, 2023, by Bella Nevin