Thanksgiving can be relaxing and comforting, especially around family and friends, as well as making a big dinner or even a small dinner, and just taking a break before heading back to school for finals. This is all nice, but what do you do before or after besides taking a nap every hour or doomscrolling in your room on TikTok for hours and hours as the day goes by? I have some tips on what to do while you’re at home or with friends and family.
Being at home can just be how you relax and watch tv or do self-care care but there are so many other activities to do. The first activity category I recommend doing by yourself is something creative. For example, you could start a scrapbook, if you don’t already have one, with pictures of you and friends and family, even pets through the years, or even places you visited. Another creative idea would be to go to a pottery class where you would learn how to make cups, plates, bottles, and everything involving clay. It would be nice to bring a friend or get to know other people at the event as well. I would also say that if you are someone who can’t make it to a pottery class, then you should buy some clay at an art store or even online and watch YouTube videos to see how to do that at home. Other activities that involve art would be drawing and framing the art afterward, writing letters to friends or to a partner, buying some flowers from a flower shop and arranging them, and creating a vision board for the new year.
As the weather gets cooler, some outside activities could be nice. Outside activities would be going for a bike ride, reading on the porch or backyard, and indoor gardening. It is really nice and calming for some people because you’ll have to keep taking care of the garden even if the garden just consists of houseplants. Stargazing when it’s dark and possibly even people watching for a short amount of time. The third activity I would suggest would be to do something that involves being active, whether that’s yoga, working out at a gym, or at home, and even Pilates. This helps with getting your mind off things and keeping your body healthy in the process.
The fourth creative idea that keeps you off your phone would be to get into reading. Any reading counts, like reading articles, magazines, or the news, to stay in the know with what’s going on in the world. Writing can go along with reading, like if you like to read and write about what you read or saw on a post about a trending topic. Also, writing in a journal is quite relaxing, and it can be about anything that comes to mind.Â
The fifth idea would be to create a playlist if you don’t have one already. Songs that you like to listen to at school, at the gym, studying, and something that calms your mind. Maybe even a sleep playlist if you’re someone who likes to sleep with surround sounds and don’t want to always use YouTube if you get ads on there. For the last idea, I recommend doing activities that involve being inside. You can learn how to start baking, cooking, do a 500 puzzle to challenge, etc. Hosting a simple game night with friends, having a phone free dinner, doing karaoke with friends, going to a museum/gallery, selling old clothes, and so much more that involve being inside! There are so many fun and creative activities to do while on Thanksgiving break that can get you into new habits and maybe help you find a hobby.Â