{"id":308045,"date":"2025-11-21T06:45:08","date_gmt":"2025-11-21T06:45:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peraltafinancing.com\/uncategorized\/student-minds-blog-dealing-with-homesickness-and-loneliness-tips-for-year-abroad-students\/"},"modified":"2025-11-21T06:45:08","modified_gmt":"2025-11-21T06:45:08","slug":"student-minds-blog-dealing-with-homesickness-and-loneliness-tips-for-year-abroad-students","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=308045","title":{"rendered":"Student Minds Blog : Dealing with homesickness and loneliness: tips for year-abroad students"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Before you go on a year abroad, you\u2019re told plenty of advice: try to take it all in, say \u2018yes\u2019 to everything, and speak as much of the local language as possible. The list goes on.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n

Much of this advice before I moved to Lyon in France for my year abroad faded into irrelevance as I was consumed by nerves and worries about the move. What was my accommodation going to be like? Would it be easy to make friends? Was I going to be able to cope with university academics in another language?\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Although many of these questions have fortunately been replaced by positive experiences, there are two things I didn\u2019t quite expect to encounter: homesickness and loneliness. When I was not in Lyon, I studied at The University of Manchester, a city I grew to love and appreciate. Embarking on a year abroad is particularly challenging when you\u2019ve become accustomed to one place, only to uproot everything and move. Adjusting to living away from home in a new location is hard enough, but having to do it again and re-adjust next September adds another layer of difficulty. One of the most important things is to acknowledge that you are completely within your right to feel homesick and unsettled. I\u2019ve found it really helpful to avoid comparing my current experience to my life in Manchester. This has limited feelings of homesickness and instead allows me to appreciate that the two experiences will be inherently different.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n

I have grown to learn that I instead cannot simply \u2018replicate\u2019 my life in Manchester in Lyon. Keeping similar routines and activities has allowed me to be more settled, even just having the same decorations as my last two rooms at university.\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Surrounding yourself with people from all walks of life can also be beneficial in helping with homesickness – being open with how you\u2019re finding it can spark conversations and ultimately build stronger friendships too. Having friends who also come from your home country can help too – it\u2019s surprising that not hearing your own language whilst out and about can be isolating. I will never take for granted the experience of being a home student in the UK again.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

I’ve become much better at using FaceTime, as keeping up with friends from home, university, and my year abroad can be challenging. It’s comforting to know that even though I don’t see them as often as I used to, many of my friends are still there for me. Scheduling calls can help you stay in touch with those who matter a lot to you.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Another challenge I\u2019ve found with doing a year abroad is overcoming loneliness and feelings of isolation. Fortunately, there is a group of students who\u2019ve also come from Manchester, as well as friends from all over the world, who have made the experience a lot easier. The temporary nature of a year abroad (or even just a semester for some) is undoubtedly a double-edged sword. While you want to make the most of everything, it\u2019s impossible to do it all. Spending an evening in my flat instead of going out with friends, or dedicating a weekend day to relaxing and catching up on work – though necessary – sometimes leaves me feeling like I\u2019m not fully maximising the experience I could be having. The reality is, we\u2019re only human. Going out every night, constantly staying busy, and completely neglecting university work would ultimately have negative consequences in the long run. It can be hard not to compare yourself to others who are on a year abroad, whether they\u2019re in different cities, countries, or even the same place as you.\u00a0<\/p>\n

While social media allows us to stay updated on the experiences of lots of people, it often serves as a highlights reel\u2014especially for something like a year abroad. I frequently remind friends who respond to my Instagram stories about day trips, scenic viewpoints, or fun activities that it\u2019s not all sunshine and rainbows. Many people who\u2019ve done a year abroad focus on sharing the positive moments, often leaving out the less glamorous side of the experience. My grades from the university here don\u2019t directly transfer to my final transcript; instead, all I need to do is pass.\u00a0<\/p>\n

This has been incredibly helpful in reducing the pressure to excel academically, allowing me to focus on making the most of the experience. However, the free time this arrangement inevitably gives me has been a challenge as someone who thrives on staying busy. That said, it\u2019s been a valuable learning experience. My second year in Manchester was intense\u2014I was constantly juggling my course, societies, and socialising with friends. Being abroad, though, has forced me to slow down, providing a much-needed break. It\u2019s been a steep learning curve but one I can say has been incredibly beneficial for my personal development.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Remember that your home university is there for you throughout your year abroad and the reason you pay a percentage of fees that year is for continued access to services (including mental health support).\u00a0The Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s Travel Aware Campaign has specific advice on mental wellbeing and living abroad too. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\nI\u2019m a third-year History and French student at The University of Manchester but am currently studying in Lyon in France as part of my year abroad. I’m passionate about making sure more students are aware of the support they have access to and destigmatising the challenges mental health can pose whilst in education.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Before you go on a year abroad, you\u2019re told plenty of advice: try to take it all in, say \u2018yes\u2019 to everything, and speak as much of the local language as possible. The list goes on.\u00a0 \u00a0 Much of this advice before I moved to Lyon in France for my year abroad faded into irrelevance […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":308046,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[138620],"tags":[3767,11682,138621,62591,4772,6763,2704,3535,138622],"dealstore":[],"offerexpiration":[],"class_list":["post-308045","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-year-abroad","tag-blog","tag-dealing","tag-homesickness","tag-loneliness","tag-minds","tag-student","tag-students","tag-tips","tag-yearabroad"],"yoast_head":"\nStudent Minds Blog : Dealing with homesickness and loneliness: tips for year-abroad students - Som2ny Network<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=308045\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Student Minds Blog : Dealing with homesickness and loneliness: tips for year-abroad students - Som2ny Network\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Before you go on a year abroad, you\u2019re told plenty of advice: try to take it all in, say \u2018yes\u2019 to everything, and speak as much of the local language as possible. 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