The day after Halloween I was already playing a Christmas playlist on Pandora. Along with searching for gifts on Amazon, watching Elf, and baking gingerbread men. Then when Thanksgiving and Christmas pass, it always feels like I have absolutely nothing to look forward to until summer, which is many months away. However, I recently realized that I think it can be even more depressing when the holiday season is over for a college student than for any other age group. Since what does this mean? An entire new semester begins, with frigid cold temperatures, and with spring break so far away there isn’t much to be happy about. That is where a creative mind comes in handy. The key to happiness at a time like this is to plan ahead. As a college student, I am always on a set schedule, planning around breaks, dates, exams, etc. Here are a few ways to plan ahead to make the winter blues not so blue, but maybe pink!
1) Set a New Year’s resolution. However, make sure it is one that you are actually going to keep. Usually I do not have a resolution; I mostly try to maintain something that I know I have been doing a good job keeping up with. For example, I try to make it to the gym at least 5 days a week or atleast on the treadmill. Therefore, make your resolution to continue to exercise 5 days a week, and maybe throw in a twist, like do more abdominal workouts, or take up running or biking instead of the elliptical. Most New Year’s resolutions are practically impossible to keep, such as eating no sweets for an entire year, or never buying another full price pair of jeans. But if you try to simply make an effort to spend another year doing something that you know you can already do or somewhat have done, you won’t be left feeling like a failure like you did with most of your resolutions.
2) Plan Spring break. Even if it is only spent at home with your mother (I fall right into this category most of the time) plan fun events to do together. Set up a week long itinerary. If you are going to be working during spring break still plan outings or lunch dates with your girlfriends/guy friends to add some R&R to your days. After all, spring break is factored into the semester to serve as a break, so try to relax and kick back with a good book, movie, or pint of ice cream.
3) Call old friends. When you go away to college you meet all these new people and at school they are your “best friends”, but when it comes down to it most of your closest friends are the friends you had in grade school, or from when you were a younger child. Call them up, whether they are at another university or working at a full-time job, I am sure they would love a break to chit-chat with you, catch up on old times, or plan some new times to be had. It is important that during the cold and dark winter days you have a good laugh; something or someone to brighten your day. And that old friend might just do the trick.
4) Get a new do. Male or female, you have to like your exterior to brighten your interior. On a cold, rainy day, get a haircut/trim or curls with a hot air brush, paint your fingernails, or try growing out that chin-strap you’d been thinking about. I am not saying change your appearance to drastic measures because it is winter, you’re bored, and you’re pale as a ghost. But I’m simply saying just take a personal day or hour to “freshen up.”
5) Get organized. Get rid of something. Keep only the necessities, which can include luxuries. A new year brings a whole new year full off stuff, AKA junk. So, by having this in mind, get rid of maybe three out of the eleven pairs of jeans you own, or that old razor flip phone you have taking up space in your vanity drawer. After all, your junk is someone else’s treasure, so take a day or two, go through everything you own and throw the useless out. Bring it to the goodwill, consignment shop, or e-bay that rubbish.
