OPINION BY JENNIFER SCHALLMOSER
You can already smell the wonderful food: turkey and mashed potatoes, toast and jellybeans, or pizza and breadsticks. In three weeks, most of us will be home with our families and friends, very much ready to spend Thanksgiving together.
However, a lot can happen in three weeks, including tests and projects that need to be taken care of.
Yet, this post-midterm slump is holding a lot of us captive. So, we all need to help each other so that everyone can survive these next few weeks. Here are five ways that can help us make it through until the holiday.
The first way is to accept that it’s OK to take some time to yourself and a break from the schoolwork, especially to sleep.
In fact, sleep should be your very best friend during this time of the year. Not only does sleep provide the time for your brain to store all the information you need to know for your test next week, it also helps prevent you from getting sick. Just relaxing in general can also help you survive as well. So go ahead and treat yourself to that Thanksgiving special on TV and enjoy it. You deserve it!
The second way is to check in with the family leading up to your momentous homecoming.
Contacting your family lets them know what’s going on with you, but it also lets you listen to what’s going in their lives during these busy weeks leading up to the holiday. Sometimes only your family can help you stay focused and motivated to get all your work done before getting to see them.
The third way to help you survive school until break is to enjoy all the warm fall clothes that get to make their debut now that it’s getting a lot colder.
Sweater weather is definitely a popular time of the year, so take advantage of your warm sweaters because you’ll need them, and you’ll be so thankful you have them.
Scarves are going to help you survive in the sense that you won’t dread the walk to class as much anymore, which is a plus.
The fourth way is to go out and enjoy the fun fall activities that us Midwesterners love so much: corn mazes, hayrides and apple picking. Personally, I’m very excited for Starbucks holiday flavors, which came out Nov. 3! To name a few, Caramel Brûlée Latte, Chestnut Praline Latte, Christmas Cookie Latte and more are now available to order. Even though it’s not Christmas yet, these flavors can successfully help lift your spirits and keep you awake during those slow days that seem like they’ll never end.
The fifth and final way you can survive school until Thanksgiving break is motivating yourself to stay focused by thinking and planning on all the great times that are ahead of you. Soon it’ll be Thanksgiving, and before you know it, it’ll be Christmas. Although Thanksgiving break still seems pretty far away, I’m sure it’ll be here in no time. But in the meantime, I hope these ways help you out a little bit during the slow days. Good luck!
