Coping with Homesickness as an ASEAN Student Studying Abroad: Practical Strategies

Why the First Few Months Feel the Hardest

Homesickness usually spikes in the first two to three months after you arrive, once the initial excitement of a new city fades and the daily reality of an unfamiliar language, food, and social circle sets in. It is a normal reaction to a genuine change in your environment, not a sign you made the wrong choice or that you are unsuited to studying abroad.

Build a Routine Early

Unstructured days make homesickness worse, since there is more time to sit with the comparison between here and home. Set a consistent wake time, a study block, and at least one anchor activity each day, even something small like a walk after class or a set time to cook dinner. A routine gives your new place a shape, which makes it feel less foreign faster than waiting for it to feel familiar on its own.

Stay Connected Without Overdoing It

Calling home is healthy. Leaving video calls open-ended, or defaulting to a call every time you feel low, turns into a way of avoiding your new environment instead of adjusting to it. Set a regular schedule, for example one call a week with parents and a shorter message check-in with close friends, and treat it as a fixed appointment rather than an always-available escape.

Keep a light channel for home food and culture too. Cooking a familiar dish or watching something in your own language is a normal comfort, not a setback, as long as it does not replace time you would otherwise spend building a life where you are.

Push Yourself Into One New Thing a Week

Isolation and homesickness reinforce each other. Say yes to one new activity a week, even a small one: joining a class-based study group, attending an orientation event, trying a new cafe near campus, or going to a national student association meetup if one exists for your country. You do not need this to feel comfortable the first time. Familiarity builds after repeated exposure, not before it.

Find Your Fellow Countrymen, But Do Not Only Rely on Them

Connecting with other students from home softens the transition and gives you people who understand your reference points without explanation. Balance this with building relationships outside that group too. Students who socialize only within their national community tend to take longer to adjust to the local language, culture, and academic style, since the daily practice that speeds up adjustment happens in the wider environment, not inside a group that already shares your habits.

Practical First-Week Habits That Help

Small physical habits reduce homesickness faster than willpower alone. Keep a fixed sleep schedule, since jet lag and irregular sleep amplify low mood in the first two weeks. Keep one object from home visible in your room, a photo or a small item, something that makes the space feel like yours without turning it into a shrine to what you left. Eat regular meals even when appetite dips, since skipped meals worsen mood and concentration in class.

Talk to Someone Who Has Already Adjusted

A senior student from your own country, one or two years into the same program, has already lived through the exact stretch you are in now. They know which weeks of term hit hardest, which local habits took the longest to get used to, and what helped them personally. A short conversation with someone who has already adjusted often does more than a general wellbeing pamphlet, since the advice comes tested and specific to your situation.

Watch for Signs It Is More Than Homesickness

Ordinary homesickness comes and goes and responds to routine, activity, and time. It becomes worth taking further if low mood, loss of interest in things you used to enjoy, appetite or sleep changes, or withdrawal from classes and people lasts most days for more than two to three weeks, or interferes with attending class or basic self-care.

Most universities run a counseling or wellbeing service for international students, often free and confidential, and it is the right first stop if homesickness does not lift. Your university's international student office points you to it directly if you are not sure where to look. Reaching out early is a normal, practical step, not an overreaction.