Why I Call Home(Sickness)

I FaceTime my entire family every day. I often get surprised looks when I tell my peers this fact; they frequently claim that’s too much communication. The thing is, I may suffer from the disease of homesickness.

We don’t typically think of homesickness as a disease, but perhaps we should.

Early on, the ancient Greek physician Hippocrates attributed homesickness to excessive black bile in the blood. Johannes Hofer later provided a neurological explanation, suggesting that new environments stimulated nerves into a frenzy known as homesickness.

Homesickness was documented as a major issue in 17th and 18th-century Swiss soldiers. When they were outsourced to French armies that required long and rigorous training, they lost their sense of individuality and longed for home. Similarly, some historical sailors were so plagued by homesickness that they would even jump off ships.

We clearly cannot compare the severity of preparing for war four centuries ago with that of attending college in the 21st century. Still, pursuing new social groups, exploring interests, and finding a place to fit in can all exacerbate homesickness at Harvard. Taken together, these college-specific difficulties can lead to academic troubles, anxiety, depression, and other ailments. Homesickness could be more prevalent than the freshman flu — despite its visibly milder symptoms.

Biologically, homesickness could be characterized as an extension of post-traumatic stress disorder. Some researchers have even posited that homesickness could be an evolutionary relic of early survival mechanisms, vitally helping proto-humans return and revisit social groups, allowing for better protection.

I was very homesick at Harvard. I checked the box for many risk factors of the disease: I had little experience living alone, have a rather reserved personality, and am very close to my family. It was definitely a difficult transition. I very much sought a cure.

There were many early theories to cure homesickness, including through fear. Famous American psychologist Benjamin Rush even reported of a general who buried alive some soldiers afflicted with homesickness, instilling such a fear of the disease that it was eliminated from the army.

Luckily, there are less severe ways to cure the disease today. Recent research suggests that some of the best ways to overcome homesickness are to immerse yourself in your surroundings and to reflect positively on your new situation. For the homesick underclassman, choosing interesting classes, interacting with your new community, and getting accustomed to Harvard culture are all ways to combat homesickness and start thinking of Harvard as home.

I did just this to fix my affliction: I filled my calendar with classes, office hours, and activities for organizations (like writing for The Crimson). I learned to savor my independence and to structure my time more efficiently. And of course, I called home daily.

But, by immersing ourselves in our school, it can be easy to forget about the people who helped bring us here: our family.

Homesickness goes both ways: We long for home, and it longs for us. On the flip side of college students’ homesickness is their parents’ empty nest syndrome — the equivalent grief brought about by children growing up and moving out of a family home.

While my siblings and I have moved into schools filled with vibrant student life and peers, we have left our parents alone, in a startlingly quiet house. One way to combat empty nest syndrome is to simply keep in contact. Technology has made this extremely easy; even a five-minute phone call can be productive for both homesickness and empty nest syndrome sufferers.

College is undoubtedly a time of finding independence and learning to deal with problems on your own. Calling your parents every time an issue comes up can prevent you from experiencing college fully and actually exacerbate feelings of homesickness, as you become more aware of the separation between you and loved ones.

But communicating with a simple text or call every few days can make everyone happier. Communication is one of the most efficient cures for homesickness — and you can do it while walking from class, grabbing a quick bite to eat, or taking a study break. So, if you haven’t already, make it a point to call home today!

Sandhya Kumar ’26 lives in Greenough Hall. Her column, “Science ‘n Tradition,” runs on alternate Tuesdays.