Thanksgiving is wonderful as it makes us all pause and give thanks for the things we have and the supportive people in our life. We are sure, as you are reading this, you already have a list working inside your head of those people you would thank. Are you on that list? You deserve thanks too, especially for starting your education at WGU Nevada. Thank you for taking those steps, now how are you going to thank yourself?
Here are some tips that will help you decompress this Thanksgiving, while also keeping you on track:
Manage your time.
Schedule. Schedule. Schedule. It may not seem like an exciting activity, but time management is important during any season—but especially during Thanksgiving when you are also managing a school workload and family obligations. If you are an active student looking to reach your goal of a degree, make sure you plan how you will accomplish that goal. Are you expected to finish some required reading? Perhaps a paper? Set aside time to manage those assignments and the best way to ease any family stress is to communicate upfront when you will be working and how long.
Include downtime.
If you have developed a schedule to maintain your education goals and family obligations, have you also set aside downtime? It is great to be dedicated to your education goals as well committed to spending time with your friends and family, but don’t forget time for yourself too by showing thanks for your hard work. This could be as simple as waking up a little earlier to enjoy a cup of coffee alone or taking a walk after dinner, especially a Thanksgiving meal with all the fixings!
Practice positive thinking.
There is a plethora of movies that are devoted to the stressful times holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas bring. Exacerbate that by adding in a hefty school workload and you could be on your way to a disaster. Stress builds up and ends up being a large roadblock to productivity. Try to sidestep the issue by practicing positive thinking. Try “reframing” your thoughts by asking yourself a few questions like “Will this stress pass? Am I working toward my goals? Am I happy with those goals?” In the example of schoolwork, if you are struggling under the weight of it all, consider reaching out to your mentor and discussing these issues with them—they can offer solutions and give you a pep talk. You will not want to give up on your education, but you may need to rethink how you plan to achieve it and by when.
At the crux of this blog, we want you to focus on one major takeaway—thank yourself. Your passion for education and your ambition toward your goals is the reason you are at WGU Nevada, but it doesn’t mean you have to forgo fun and family to do so. This Thanksgiving give thanks to yourself and manage those expectations, plan for “you” time, and stay positive. We are thankful for you!
