This time of year, the air feels heavier. Midterms and deadlines are piling up, the temperature is dropping and it is getting dark earlier and earlier. 

This year particularly, November was marked with one of the most historic political events of our generation, the 2024 presidential election — an election many of us felt our future depended on. 

In the wake of all of those things, hope and connection can feel hard to come by. 

It feels like the easiest thing to do right now is to isolate ourselves into hibernation for these winter months, one of the hardest seasons yet. 

However, we need to lean into those around us now more than ever. 

Whether sharing a meal with friends, attending a student-run event, going to a coffee shop instead of staying home to study, having a conversation in class with someone you haven’t spoken to yet, or extending a friendly wave and smile to those we walk past on the sidewalk. 

Community is all around us, and sometimes it is up to us to seek it out.

Tessa Lundheim, a fourth-year University of Minnesota student and member of the UMN Ballroom Dance Club, said the club is one way she finds community and connection in winter months. 

“It is a great way to make friends and learn a really cool skill,” Lundheim said. “But also, it just brings people together indoors for a social event. So in the winter, it is really nice.” 

Lundheim said the club is currently holding a bake sale, and she sees these types of fundraisers as another way to engage with the community. 

“It’s just about doing something small to make a club or event accessible to more people,” Lundheim said. “You can connect with people, but also, it is a great opportunity to give back.”

Since the pandemic, boundary culture has taken off across social media platforms, and in turn, in our relationships. 

In a time where the majority of our social interactions had to take place virtually, we began to move away from being open to showing up for each other as much in both the literal and figurative sense. 

With all the time alone, we prioritized setting boundaries and self-care. With that came the prioritization of individualism as well. 

Favors like picking up our friends from the airport or helping each other move became too much to ask for because of the inconvenience they may cause. 

Setting boundaries for ourselves isn’t inherently bad. 

To set a boundary is an attempt to take care of yourself. They are necessary for the health and longevity of any relationship. Sometimes, however, these boundaries can create more space between us than intended. 

Friendships and relationships should not rely on convenience alone. We are supposed to help each other out, even when it isn’t always optimal or reciprocated exactly. 

Relationships should not be purely transactional. 

Taking care of ourselves does not have to mean doing things only for ourselves. Showing up and putting effort into those around us can be a form of self-care as well. 

Eva Smith, a first-year student, said during this time of year she makes an effort to do more with friends. 

“I make sure I am still going to all my clubs and other events during winter,” Smith said. “It makes me feel better to consistently go to things. I also try to make more plans to eat meals with my friends regularly.”

Smith also said the recent election outcome has made this winter particularly difficult, but she has found ways to have hope as well. 

“We’ve been talking about a lot in some of my theater classes,” Smith said. “I’ve realized how people have gone through something like this before, and how people can use art as a way to still find community and express themselves.” 

Whether it is through art or conversation, we still have ways to connect in the hardest seasons. 

Finding community is not an effortless undertaking. Because we need each other, we need to show up for each other. This is how we sustain ourselves. 

For myself, despite the chill, I am going to bundle up and make an extra effort to help people out without expecting anything in return. To hold the door for those behind me, to buy things from bake sales and to say yes to plans whenever I can — even when I am tempted by the comfort of isolation. 

Right now, it can feel like we are all we have. For now, we are all we need. 

Hope still exists. We just have to cultivate it together.