Many students going to university for the first time feel homesick. Research shows that an average of 50-70% of students suffer from homesickness in some way within the first couple of weeks at uni - even those who didn't expect to miss home. It may be that you miss your family and home comforts, that you haven’t spent much time away from home before or that you’ve left behind a boyfriend or girlfriend.

Common symptoms of homesickness include:

- Increased anxiety

- Feeling very emotional/frequent crying outburst

- Difficulty sleeping and change in eating habits

- Feeling unwell (nausea, dizziness and headaches)

- Lack of concentration

- Feeling lonely

Whatever the reason, being homesick is completely normal, but if you’re wondering how to curb these emotions, here are some things you can do help:

Tips to overcome homesickness

- Keep busy by focussing your attention elsewhere. Join a club, sports team or society, and throw yourself right into it. It will help you to make lots of new friends, and with more company around you, the less likely you are to feel lonely and homesick. Your new friends may even feel homesick too, so you can all support one another.

- Keep a journal. Rather than keeping all your emotions pent up, write down how you feel. You’ll be surprised how much better it makes you feel.

- Make your new room something you’re happy with by decorating it with familiar things from home. Photos are a great way to personalise a room, but don’t put up too many, as you’ll be more concise about missing home.

- Stay in touch with your family, but keep phone calls limited. Hearing a familiar voice may make you feel even more homesick, so use an alternative like Facebook or MSN. Invite your family and friends to visit you after a few weeks so you have something to look forward to.

- Make sure you get enough sleep each night and try to eat healthily and drink lots of water. If you feel refreshed, you’re likely to be in a better mood and generally feel happier.

- Keep a positive attitude. Although it may not live up to your immediate expectations, it will get better and you will enjoy your time at university. You’ll have plenty of time to visit home, with the Christmas and Easter holidays each being over 4 weeks long!

Most students find that homesickness fades, but if it persists for longer than a few months and is affecting your studies, consider speaking to someone at your universities counselling service.