To those who need to hear it: Just because it’s Thanksgiving doesn’t mean that you’re going to feel thankful.
While Thanksgiving is a holiday meant to bring people together and remind us of what we are thankful for, this isn’t the case for everyone all the time. As the start of the holiday season, Thanksgiving is known to be a holly-jolly and joyous time of the year. For many of us, however, there is a disconnect between the holiday spirit and what we truly feel.
Whether you’re staying on campus during Thanksgiving break or making the trek home to spend the holiday with family, there are factors that can make it difficult to feel the so-called “Thanksgiving spirit” and take time to focus on the things we appreciate in our lives. Being on campus over Thanksgiving break can be difficult if you can’t spend this time with your family, especially if it seems like everyone else is going to be reuniting with their loved ones. Even if you are going home, it can be hard to fully disconnect from the academic pressures or other responsibilities. This is especially true at this time of year, which can be incredibly busy with midterms, projects, course registration, and finals.
While you may be struggling to feel thankful, remember that you aren’t the only one. There’s a community surrounding you and that in itself is something to remember as we embrace the season of gratitude. Even if this Thanksgiving is unusual compared to the ones you’ve spent in the past, you can still make the most of it and spend time with those you cherish. If you are going home for the weekend, you can feel grateful for your family and enjoy the time spent with those you probably haven’t seen in a while. You can also always be grateful for a home-cooked meal since few of us have access to that on campus.
If you’re unable to go home or if you don’t celebrate Thanksgiving, you can still feel a sense of community by spending time with fellow students who are also staying on campus during the break. Take this opportunity to organize a small potluck or Friendsgiving; you can appreciate the people in your life who are willing to buy cookies and pretend they baked them themselves because they want to spend time with you but don’t want to leave everyone with salmonella.
It may be unrealistic for you to do a 180 and feel grateful for every single thing surrounding you. It’s more manageable to acknowledge the little individual things that make a difference. Maybe you’ve been wanting to read a book, but haven’t had the time; be grateful for this break and take some time to do something for yourself. Maybe this break is the first time in a month that you’ve been able to get a healthy night’s sleep, and that’s a wonderful thing. Even if you feel like there is nothing in your life to be thankful for, we know that there is something—no matter how small—that can change your point of view during this time.
No matter your perspective on Thanksgiving and how you decide to spend this time, we at Spectrum hope that you are able to make the best of this season—whatever that may mean to you.
Anuthmi Waas can be contacted at anuthmi.waas@columbiaspectator.com. She is thankful that over Thanksgiving weekend, she’ll be able to go to Dodge gym and not wait 30 minutes for a piece of equipment.