Studying abroad is a life-changing experience, especially when you are studying in Australia. Different cities in Australia are offering world-class education to international students. A major name in this regard is Perth. Students find four prominent public universities in the city: Curtin University, Edith Cowan University, Murdoch University, and the University of Western Australia.
There is no doubt that Perth provides excellent student life. Still, sometimes, students feel some issues while living there. While living there, some students struggle with homesickness. How to deal with them – it is the question they need to get answer.
Here, we will provide some tips for international students about dealing with homesickness.
Acknowledge Your Feeling
The first thing you need to do in this regard is to acknowledge your feelings. Acknowledge that it is okay to feel this way. Several international students go through this phrase. It’s normal to miss your family, friends, and the comforts of home. But, it doesn’t mean that you are not capable of adapting to your new environment.
Stay in Touch with Your Family and Old Friends
Telecommunication and the advent of the internet have made it possible to stay in touch with people living in distant areas. So, you can stay in touch with your family and old friends via voice calling, video calling, and real-time messaging. You can get the feel of the presence of your loved ones by video calling. You can talk to them on a regular basis and see your home on video calling. Besides, you can regularly receive pictures and videos of your home and old friends on WhatsApp.
All this will help you to avoid homesickness to a great extent.
Set a Routine
Sudden disruption of your familiar routine is one of the reasons for homesickness. To make it normal, you should set a routine in Perth. It will normalize things and help you manage everything from studies to workouts easily. Setting a routine is very helpful in maintaining emotional balance.
Give Some Time to Enjoyment
Giving some time to enjoyment may help you perfectly in dealing with homesickness. You will find a lot of options for enjoyment in Perth. You can find games and many other enjoyable activities in your accommodation property. Besides, you can also visit nearby cinemas, theaters, and other entertainment venues. You can also go for eating out occasionally or on weekends for eating out. All this will help you to cope with your feeling of homesickness.
Explore Perth
Exploring Perth and seeing new things is also a great way to get rid of the feeling of homesickness. There are numerous places in Perth that you can visit during your stay in the city. Some popular tourist destinations in Perth include Kings Park and Botanic Garden, Cottesloe Beach, Fremantle Prison, Swan River, and more.
Exploration of Perth gives you enjoyment plus enhances your knowledge about the culture of Perth. Besides, it keeps your mind busy with constructive things.
Make New Friends
Making new friends is also a good way to avoid homesickness. When you share your thoughts and emotions with others and they share the same with you, you get a homely feeling. You can make new friends in your college and housing property first. You will get many more chances to make new friends in Perth.
Join a Student Organization
You can find student organizations in Perth. These organizations may be based on interests, causes, ethnicities, and more. Joining any such organizations can help you in involving in some tasks and avoiding homesickness. Besides, it also helps you make new friends. More than this, if you join an organization related to your home country or community, you get a homely feel. So, you can avoid homesickness up to a great extent.
Take Care of Your Physical Health
Emotional health and physical fitness are closely associated with each other. So, you should take care of your physical health. For this, do workouts regularly. You can find a gym in your Student housing property, university, or a nearby area from your home. Besides, eat healthy food to maintain your physical fitness.
Do Breathing Exercises and Meditation
Breathing exercises and meditation are great ways to maintain emotional balance. There are different types of breathing exercises available these days. You can do simple breathing exercises like deep breathing and alternative breathing or advanced yogic breathing exercises. Similarly, you can choose among different types of meditations such as breathing meditation, mindfulness, transcendental meditation, mantra meditation, and more.
Conclusion
Dealing with homesickness as an international student in Perth is a natural challenge. But, it’s manageable with the right strategies. Acknowledge your feelings, maintain strong connections with loved ones, and build new friendships to create a support network. Establishing a routine and engaging in enjoyable activities, like exploring the city’s beautiful destinations, can help ease the transition. You can join student organizations also. Besides, you need to take care of your physical and mental health. You can do workouts, breathing exercises, and meditation for this purpose. These can also be highly effective ways to get rid of homesickness.
