It is the week before Spring Break. We college students are making final arrangements for beach plans with our college friends, spending time with family or working to save money because we spent it all on late-night runs to Cook Out the first half of the spring semester. Whatever the case, this week is a time to simply take a “break” from the stressors of classes, work and all responsibility.
The new year has well begun, and we sprang right into action after the holidays. Life has been go, go, go since January. We students are eager for a break, so we can regather and catch our breath after the chaos of the beginning of the semester.
“Many full-grown adults do not even know how to easily navigate so many obligations and activities at once, so students certainly need to be given substantial breaks once in a while to allow them to destress and have the ability to catch up with anything pressing,” said Dr. Michael Messina, a clinical psychologist.
For students, college is, for the most part, the first time that we have been given major responsibilities and our first time navigating the real world. After hustling for half a semester, our daily cup of coffee and protein bar are just not cutting it to cope with the utter exhaustion we have accumulated over the span of three months. We are in desperate need of some downtime after spending weeks staying up until 2 a.m. to finish assignments. Then, we get up and jump from class to class all day, navigate having a job somewhere in between, and participate in our organizations, clubs or Greek Life, all while still trying to have a social life and time for ourselves. It is all just too much.
“I think Spring Break is important because it’s a nice time in between all of the craziness of school to step back and reset,” said Rachel Myers, a sophomore marketing major. “Most people have just taken midterms and need a short period of rest to be able to finish the semester strong.”
Spring Break falls in the middle of the semester, and with that comes midterms. The midterm slump is a real thing, and students are feeling its hardcore impact right now. However, in the midst of the midterm mania is the hope that we could be lying on a beach soaking in the sun somewhere after having suffered a lack of vitamin D for far too long. To be honest, sitting under the fluorescent lights of a dingy classroom is just not cutting it. I need some sunshine and time away from the hustle and bustle of life.
“When you can get away from work, your mind has time to refocus,” said Mary Jo Rapini at Fox 26. “Often, in that refocusing, you’re able to see a different perspective of issues at work and home. Not being stressed with work helps you process ideas more calmly and rationally.”
Being away from school or work for a week is not going to break you; if anything, it will put you back together. It is a great time for us to recenter our mind and put our well-being back on track to get ready for the grind that is the second half of the semester. It actually is a good break for our minds so that we can work better when we get back from break. We begin to get very irritable, or maybe that is just me, when we have been working hard for too long. Having a break is a good thing so that we are able to be less stressed and actually be able to be productive.
“I’m the kind of student who gets burned out really fast, so for me, Spring Break is at the perfect time in the semester for me to relax, get a break from school and see my friends and family,” said Erin Young, a sophomore exercise science major. “Even though many students don’t get to take a vacation and have other commitments, it is still a great time to take care of our mental well-being.”
As college students, our weekdays, as well as weekends, are filled with nonstop homework, projects and crying … I mean studying. Anyway, Spring Break is a time for us to stop for a moment and just relax. It is a time for us to get to see our friends and family and get that socialization and downtime that is much needed for our well-being. Even if we do not go on some crazy Spring Break trip to some exotic location and simply go home and hang with our parents or siblings, visit hometown friends and snuggle our dogs, it can still be a nice break from all of our responsibilities. Instead of worrying about due dates and coordinating dreaded group assignments, the only thing we have to worry about is catching up on some much-needed sleep and resting up to finish out the semester strong in anticipation of summer break!
