The days are getting shorter. The air is getting colder. Everyone from back home is posting pictures of holiday decorations and family meals. And you're stuck on a college campus miles away from it all.
Now for some people, that might be fine. Maybe the holidays were stressful for your family. Understandable. Maybe you like being slightly removed from it all. But for some of us, being so far away can bring on a unique sense of loneliness. This can easily be compounded as you're hit with the end-of-semester rush of assignments, tests, studying and the dreaded finals. It's important to find ways to avoid the pre-holiday blues while you're away at school. These are only a few I've discovered.
Decorate Your Space
There's just something comforting about seeing twinkling lights and Christmas trees and stockings hanging on the walls. Take a few minutes with your roommates or suitemates and put up a few decorations in a common space. Even if you don't have any lights or fancy decorations, some paper and scissors can make it seem like the snow came early in your dorm. It may not be the same as decorating the tree with your family or engaging in family parties, but it can help to take away some of the nostalgia of decorating. Plus, you get to look at these awesome decorations every day!
Invest In Some Holiday Coloring
As someone who works in childcare, I absolutely appreciate the value of using colored pictures as decorations. Find a printer and print out a few holiday themed coloring pictures, find your crayons, colored pencils or markers and go to town. In addition to being a generally relaxing activity, it can also be used as a decoration!
Stock Up On Holiday Treats
If you have access to an oven, bake them! Nothing beats the smell of fresh baked cookies and it can be a great activity to break up the studying. If you don't have an oven, try to get to a grocery store and get brownies, get cupcakes, get cookies, get chocolates. (In moderation, of course). Use them as rewards for when you've accomplished a goal. Use them as rewards when you get through a really hard class or you finished an exam. Use them just because you're hungry and too stressed to go to the dining hall. You can never really go wrong with holiday treats. After all, 'stressed' backward spells 'desserts'!
Put On The Christmas Music
Michael Bublé , Mariah Carey, and Bing Crosby will become your best friends. Listen to instrumental versions. Listen to pop versions. Listen to country versions or rap versions. Let yourself get into the spirit and sing along.
Watch A Christmas Movie
"25 Days of Christmas" is starting up soon on Freeform (AKA the former ABC family) with a lineup of all the classics. Find the schedule here.
It can be hard to be away from family during the holiday seasons. School is almost over and you're so stressed but you can make it through! And if you do these things, you can do it without being a Grinch or a Scrooge! (But remember to study for finals, too).
