11/24/2025
“Thanksgiving Break Checkpoints: What Your College Student’s Behavior Is Really Telling You”
If your college student came home this week looking exhausted, irritable, shut down, or “not quite themselves”… you’re not imagining it. And you’re not alone.
Thanksgiving break is often the first real moment parents see what the semester has taken out of their student—mentally, emotionally, academically, and physically.
After coaching thousands of students across 200+ colleges, I can tell you this:
Their behavior at home is giving you important clues.
Here are a few things to pay attention to this week:
Are they unusually quiet or withdrawn?
Sleeping way more than normal?
Snappy, tense, or easily overwhelmed?
Avoiding any conversation about school?
Retreating to their room instead of engaging?
None of these are signs of laziness.
They are signs of overload, burnout, and stress.
I put together a blog article for parents that breaks it all down—including what these behaviors REALLY mean and how to support your student without triggering shutdown or defensiveness.
Read the full blog post here: https://www.drjoelingersoll.com/blog/thanksgiving-break-checkpoints-what-your-college-student-s-behavior-is-really-telling-you
If you want clarity before spring semester sneaks up, this will help.
And if you’d like deeper support, I’ll be hosting a 3-Day Parent Challenge December 8–10 to teach you exactly how to help your student reset, rebuild motivation, and bounce back stronger after break.
More info coming soon!
Have a happy, healthy Thanksgiving.
—Dr. Joel
Dr. Joel's blog dives into perspectives on mental health, parenting, physical health, and peak performance. Topics include current mental health issues, straight-forward action steps to improve mental and physical health, parenting tips and ways to optimize student and career performance.
