Whether you've lived away from home before or not, it's always a good idea to have coping mechanisms in your back pocket for the homesickness that is bound to hit.
When I graduated high school I ran and never looked back. I went to undergrad eight hours away from home, spent summers in New York and Los Angeles, studied abroad in Vienna, and am currently living in London. Over the past four years I averaged about 20 days at home per year! I peaced out hard and while my family is amazing I just knew there was so much more of the world I had to see.
Because I rarely go home, which means family visits are few and far between I've become a pro at coping with the distance. For some doing the DCP may be their first taste at living a far distance from their friends and families and for others they may have made that leap when they first went away to college. Regardless of whether you've done this before or not, moving is always difficult and always requires adjustments.
I would consider myself a pro at moving away from home at this point, but that doesn't mean I've overcome the homesickness that comes with the territory. Here are my top 7 coping mechanisms to make sure that homesickness is a little less of a nuisance.
1. Realize you will be homesick
It's important to realize that at some point on your program you will probably be homesick. I've literally spent the past four years away from home and there are still moments when I want nothing more than to crawl back into my bed at home and cuddle with my dogs. It's important not to dismiss homesickness as something that only occurs to certain people or is frowned upon. There is nothing wrong with missing home! Just know that those feelings fade and we tend to remember things better than they were anyway when we're feeling nostalgic about something.
2. FaceTime is Your Best Friend
So I don't FaceTime often, but it's a great way to see familiar furry faces, who can't contact you otherwise. Yes, I specifically FaceTime my family to see my pets. It's also a great way to bring you back to a familiar environment. My mom walks around a lot when she's on the phone, so I know anytime I FaceTime her I'll get a glimpse around my house and it'll make a small part of me feel like I'm back home walking around.
3. Invest in Parental Snapchat
I know this is probably going to be really controversial, but I swear by it! You're probably thinking Caitlin there is no way I'm going to introduce my parents to Snapchat, it'll ruin the medium, but hear me out. I first made my mom a Snapchat the first time I went abroad so she could see what I was seeing. This meant I didn't have to text her every night what was happening or describe what I was experiencing because she could see it for herself. The bonus of having a Snapchat connected to home is getting to see your pets if you have any. The only thing my mom ever snaps me is my pets, so I'm always in the loop on the shenanigans they're getting themselves into which makes me feel like I haven't completely abandoned them.
4. Keep a Countdown
Sometimes the best thing you can do is keep a countdown of when you're going to see your family or friends next. When I've had the hardest times I've always made a countdown. Even if everything else feels like it's falling apart it'll bring you joy changing your countdown every day, seeing the numbers go down and realizing the comforts of home are right around the corner.
5. Stay With Your Traditions
This past year was the first year I didn't go home for Christmas. That was a really big deal. And while my family did come visit me in London for the holidays they didn't arrive until Christmas Eve. This was the first time we ever spent Christmas someplace other than our house, but we tried to keep it as similar as possible. We put up a mini Christmas tree in our hotel and hung decorations. We had Italian food Christmas Eve like my mom normally cooks at home and my mom even made our Christmas morning breakfast we always have in our small hotel kitchenette. Even though it wasn't the same as being home for the holidays, we kept everything the same. So if you're doing the Fall DCP and are going to be away from home for the holidays try keeping up with your usual holiday traditions to make the distance feel a little less overwhelming.
6. Reschedule the Holidays
This is within reason. Now you obviously can't reschedule all holidays but for some you can. I'm not going to lie I have missed the past 5 Thanksgivings at my house. Yes, you read correctly. I was not present for 5 Thanksgivings! I missed them for various legitimate reasons such as being in the Macy's Parade or living abroad, but that doesn't mean I dismissed the holiday.
My family is nice enough that we always reschedule Thanksgiving for when everyone is home, so this past year I couldn't make it home until April, so we celebrated Thanksgiving in April. Thanksgiving is about spending time with your family anyway, so we make the holiday for a day that works for us. It also helps when I'm gone on the holiday because I know I'm not truly missing out on it, instead I'm just missing out on when society is collectively celebrating.
7. Date Nights!
I'm the first to admit I am hopelessly single, so those are not the types of date nights I am talking about, but if it applies to you then by all means make it those types of date nights! I'm talking about family and friends date nights. What? You may be thinking. Don't worry I'm here to explain. Part of feeling homesick can be feeling as though you're missing out on things you otherwise wouldn't be. So that's where these date nights come in. Schedule an activity with friends or family that you would normally do together, but can do apart as well.
My family is big on watching movies together. We did it all the time growing up if we didn't know how to spend an evening. We would just pop in a movie and spend the evening together watching it. So when I'm feeling a bit homesick or want to do something with my family a lot of times we'll schedule movie dates. I'll call ahead and we'll decide what movie we want to watch and start it at the same time. My family also likes to chat during movies, so when we're apart my mom and I will text back and forth our commentaries on the movie.
The most important thing to understand is that being homesick is completely normal when you're adjusting to a new environment. Like I said I have spent the majority of the past four years away from home and I STILL get homesick! Just remember the DCP is a once in a lifetime experience and no matter where you end up in life home will always be there for you. So embrace your time at Disney, embrace that not all days are going to feel perfect, and have the best program you can possibly have!
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