Every year since the beginning of college, I have gone to Portland to visit my aunt and uncle for Thanksgiving. I used to go there more often to escape the chaos that is a college student’s life, but that stopped being as possible. I’ve noticed that at this time of the year, I have a really hard time just relaxing. With school ending in the next week and final projects waiting to be finished, how can I relax?
This year I was all prepared to crank out paper and a presentation during my short visit, but I chose to ignore the academic perfectionist that lives in the back of my head telling me to get everything right all the time, and I just visited. Honestly, it made me uncomfortable. I rarely ever just sit and talk with people anymore because the culture in school can be so “go, go, go!” So I made a point to acknowledge that discomfort, bring awareness to my actions that were completely against what I felt I had to do in the moment, and I hung out with my friends and family.Looking back on it now, I am proud of myself for allowing myself to be human for a couple days. It can be hard sometimes to appreciate the simple things like a person’s company, their honest interest in your life, and of course a good cup of homemade coffee. But, it is in those things that the holiday spirit lives. Knowing now how nice it was to get out of my head and enjoy a real meal with other people, play card games and just hang out, I am going to maintain that practice for the upcoming holidays as well. Of course, now I’m stuck with more work in the next two days than I initially expected, but I feel ready to push through the final two weeks, enjoy my remaining time with my friends, appreciate the city of Seattle before I say goodbye for nine months, and then go home to my favorite people for the holidays.
From what I learned, my advice would be to take a moment and think about the little things you are looking forward to on your break. What makes the holidays special for you? Is it your grandma’s pies? Decorating the family tree? Seeing friends? Those things that make you smile just thinking about them are the things that matter most, so don’t forget to let yourself enjoy them. We all fall victim to the crazy busy lifestyle we are all meant to uphold, but don’t forget to enjoy the moments you spend outside of the office or the library so you can be reminded of what–and who–got you to the place that you are in now.