Going back home after being at college for nearly four months is an extremely out of body experience. You’re put back in the place where you were raised with all the friends and family you grew up with. Your college experience almost feels as if it never happened.
With all this being said, it’s very easy to slip back into old habits you once had throughout high school. Here’s my guide to surviving Thanksgiving break and making most of your time being home while celebrating thanks with the people you love the most.
- Do: Spend As Much Time With Friends and Family As Possible.Â
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After all, the reason you are home is to celebrate thanks with the most important people in your life. This break will go by extremely fast so it’s important to enjoy the moments you have with your family and friends.
You may just want to take this break to relax and reset but remember why you’re home and take advantage of being surrounded by the people you love. If your mom asks you to go to the store with her, a friend asks you to get coffee or a sibling asks to hang out, do it.
- Don’t: Hold Grudges.Â
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You have experienced nearly a whole semester of college now. Whatever happened throughout high school is in the rear view.Â
This will be your first time seeing all the people you’ve grown up with in nearly four months. It’s important to acknowledge that you have all had the opportunity to grow up and mature during this time apart. Just think about how much you have changed during this short time and realize that the same goes for others.Â
You tend to appreciate your hometown friends more when you go off to school and begin a life they’re not necessarily a part of. For this reason, when you’re all back together again it’s important to let go of any drama or resentment you had from high school or the past.Â
- Do: Be Nostalgic.
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It’s definitely hard to not be nostalgic when back home during the holidays, but it’s ok to be. Catch up with your high school friends, go out, and reminisce. Those were formative years of your life, and nostalgia is proof you’re living a life to be proud of.Â
Within this, you must still remember that you can’t let your life pass you by being obsessed with the past. You’re in college now, a time you’ve been waiting for your entire life. Be able to appreciate the past while also remembering you have a future to make the most of.Â
- Don’t: Entertain Your High School Ex-Boyfriend.Â
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He is an ex-boyfriend for a reason. After coming back home from being at college for almost a full semester can sometimes make it hard to remember that. You two have now entered a new chapter of your lives that don’t intertwine and that’s OK!
It may be tempting to catch back up and hear about each other’s college experiences thus far, but with that, you must remember why you guys broke up. Don’t try to convince yourself the breakup was a mistake and all you needed was this time apart.
Especially if you haven’t met anyone at school that you’ve been interested in, it can be easy to fall back on an ex that already knows you, your family and everything about your life. It’s true that this person will always be an important and transformative part of your life whether they’re in it anymore or not, but the relationship served its purpose and it’s best to not revisit.
That’s my Thanksgiving break guide for all freshmen that I definitely wish I had. These are just a couple of my do’s and don’ts for your time at home. Make the most of this short break and be sure to enjoy the time you have at home with family.