Freshman year is exciting and includes many adventures, but leaving behind friends and family in the transition can be stressful and lead to homesickness or depression.

In the first two or three months, exercising and eating healthy can improve mental and social health by providing happy endorphins and energy to engage in campus activities.

Courtney Clippert-Treadwell, psychology resident for Student Counseling Service, said it can be tempting for freshmen to go home if they’re feeling homesick, but it’s important to become comfortable with the new environment. After a few weeks, students can schedule a visit home, but try not to visit until that time.

Students who experience homesickness are not alone. The UCLA Higher Education Research Institute reports that 65 percent of first-year students frequently felt homesick or lonely, and 11.7 percent of students said they felt depressed.

When asked about the best coping skills for homesickness, Clippert-Treadwell said it’s important for a student to acknowledge that he or she feels homesick and understand it is a common reaction to periods of change.

It’s important to understand that homesickness is common but can lead to depression.

“There are many overlapping symptoms of homesickness and depression, such as feeling sad, loss of motivation, not finding pleasure in activities you once enjoyed, difficulty concentrating, increase or decrease in appetite and sleeping too much or not getting enough sleep,” Clippert-Treadwell said.

 “You can ask yourself, ‘Have I been homesick more days than not over the last few weeks?’ ‘Has this interfered with my ability to attend class, complete homework, etc.?’ If you answer, ‘Yes,’ you might be experiencing depression and would likely benefit from talking with a professional,” she said.

Student Counseling Services is free to ISU students. Students can walk in any time between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. Monday through Thursday and from 8 a.m. to noon Friday. Students should allow for 90 minutes.