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Homesickness -vs- Me

Being a Military Brat, I am used to traveling to new places and having to adjust to new people. But this move to Oxford, Mississippi was not easy for me. After 5 years of living in New Orleans, it had definitely become my home. All of my friends were there, my alma mater, everything. I was used to not visiting my family much in Nashville, but it was always a nice getaway when I did. And although I'm a lot closer to the people I care about, homesickness has definitely hit me hard.


Recognizing the Signs

Understanding how I was feeling was probably the hardest part of this transition. I have been to Nashville a few times now since I have moved to Oxford. And every time I came back for school, I missed home more and more. Ole Miss is VASTLY different than my close-knit HBCU, Xavier. There's not a lot of people that look like me in my field of study like there was at Xavier. Which is definitely the biggest thing I need to get adjusted to. Moving to a new place by myself was already hard enough, but being a true minority adds to the difficulty. I started recognizing small changes in my mood and the way I carried myself. I used to dress up nearly everyday, but was slowly starting to wear leggings or sweatpants everyday. I wasn't feeling like myself. I was becoming disconnected from my friends. It took one of my closest friends calling me out on all these changes that I was finally able to recognize and understand that I was truly homesick.


Making Some Changes

So in order to combat this negativity that was taking over my life, I had to change some things. 
  • Clean! My apartment was fully furnished and knowing that people lived here before me, made my apartment feel like it wasn't the cleanest.
  • Decorate! My space didn't quite feel like my own yet.
  • Cleanse the Air! Call me superstitious, but I do believe that the energy in your home can affect your everyday mood. I needed to cleanse the energy in my apartment so I could have a better energy about myself. 
These things all needed to be done in order to make my apartment feel more like a home and to help get my mojo back. 


Getting My Mojo Back

To start, I scrubbed everything clean. I started in the bathroom and worked my way to my room, my living room, and of course the kitchen. Everything need to be spotless and put in its place. I spent the better half of a day doing this, but it was so worth it. Next, I got a couch cover to go over the couch in the living room. I also got some decorative pillows to match as well. I put up my Periodic Table poster (I know it's nerdy, but I don't care). I picked up a nice coffee table for my living room. Got cute sheets for my bed and set up my bathroom how I wanted. This made all the difference! All I have left is to cleanse the air in my space and I plan to get some succulent plants to go in my apartment sometime this week. I have already felt such a difference in my attitude and my productivity in my space. I still miss home, but now my apartment seems a little more like a home. 


What do you do to battle homesickness? Comment below and subscribe! 

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