At this point, you’ve probably been home for Winter Break for at least a little while. Take a deep breath and pat yourself on the back-you made it halfway! Now you just have to weather moving into the new year, returning to school, and all those pesky questions about what you’re doing with your life, what you want to do, and the most dreaded question of all- “So, are you seeing anyone?”
If you’re like most college students, you find these questions at best irritating and at worst invasive. That’s completely normal. It’s also completely normal to tell your well-meaning friends and relatives that you simply don’t know what you’re going to do with your life right now. Freshmen year is the time to BEGIN thinking about what you want to do with your life, not to make concrete decisions and never change your mind ever again. Your relatives and friends understand that. They are most likely asking these questions as a touch-stone for hearing about your life and aren’t sure what else to ask you. If you find yourself in these conversations over and over again this holiday season, try to steer the conversation toward other interests of yours, such as a class you found interesting or a new friend you met in the dining hall. You are not required to talk about every little detail, but finding common ground keeps you from having the same conversation over and over again. Make sure to keep your family talking about themselves as well! Take the time to ask questions about events you may have missed while you were away at school.
Another thing to keep in mind while you’re home for winter break is to catch up with those high school classmates you might not have seen since you went your separate ways after graduation. Plan these meetings early; don’t wait until the last day before you have to go back to college to catch up with everyone. It may be a good idea to meet up with a few friends one-on-one instead of attempting to gather everyone together at one time, but do whatever works for you! This is your chance to catch up with old friends and find out what everyone has been doing. While it may seem like you’re up-to-date with everyone via Snapchat, Instagram, and Facebook, you may find you’ve missed out on a lot! We tend to only post the really good or really bad things on social media, but it’s those mundane in-between events that keep friendships alive!
One important thing to keep in mind this winter break as you’re catching up with all your old friends and family is that despite the seemingly short amount of time you’ve been away, people change, and that is a good thing! You certainly aren’t the same person you were when you began your freshmen year, and it’s likely that your friends and family aren’t either. Embrace these changes and take the time to get to know these new aspects of the people you love, and let them get to know the new you as well. Make the most of the time you have before you head back to a fantastic spring semester!
