Jose Gonzalez-Campelo/The Cougar
It’s almost Thanksgiving and while many students have already left for home, there are some students who are still staying back in their dorms.
Here are a few tips to help students enjoy the break:
Go out with friends
College is all about finding a family in friends. This is the perfect time to spend time with those families that students found and nurtured in their college years.
Spending the holiday with friends can provide a sense of community and belonging, ensuring students don’t feel homesick.
Students can visit their friends’ families and get to know them even better. Especially if you’re an international student, practicing this will help understand different cultures even more.
Virtual celebration
The Internet has made everything so much easier and accessible. COVID taught everyone how to survive virtually, therefore there’s always an option to host a virtual party!
Gather friends and family and start a virtual Thanksgiving celebration with food, drinks and even online multiplayer games.
Attendees can even start a movie marathon with extensions like Teleparty where viewers can watch and play a movie or web series together.
Volunteer
Festivals and holidays are about showing gratitude and students can do their part by volunteering at local and nearby events.
In a city as diverse as Houston, students can find different types of opportunities to help, ranging from preparing and serving meals to donating money.
To find out more about charity and volunteering options, students can visit here.
Indulge in self-care
Finals are right around the corner and it’s important to relax and recharge. Utilize this day to treat yourself with a self-care day which can help clear the mind, reduce stress and prepare for the challenges ahead.
Taking a long bath, indulging in a book or practicing yoga are some simple yet effective ways to reset. Students can even pamper themselves with a spa day in their dorms.
A lot of self-care products are even at a discounted price on outlets like Ulta Beauty, HEB and Target.
Spend time in nature
With families celebrating Thanksgiving, there’s less possibility of public spaces being crowded making this the perfect time to take a walk in a park.
Reconnect with nature and have a solo picnic date with a favorite book or a Netflix web series. Gather your favorite food and drinks, invite friends who might be alone and have fun!
Work towards acing those finals
Since students would be staying home, another productive way to utilize time is by studying for finals and ending the semester with a bang!
This will give students a head start on preparing as compared to other classmates. This will also give time to review class materials, organize notes and create a study schedule to ensure they’re well-prepared.
Taking advantage of this time to address challenging topics or catch up on missed work can also help relieve stress as finals approach.
