Winter break was good to me! Let me give you the rundown:
I was so excited for winter break after returning to school for dead week and exam week after Thanksgiving break. Going back home and spending time with my family and dogs was lovely and I was itching to finish the semester and return to the tranquility of my bed and home. I never realized how much of a homebody/introvert I was until coming to college. My mom said she always knew (I loved spending time in my room and relaxing after school), yet I’d usually characterize myself as an extrovert. I guess I’m both! Anyways, after finishing the semester, I giddily drove home to greet my two adorable puppies and see my baby nephew I so dearly missed. I was so happy to be home.
The holidays are always so chaotic and in high school, I never felt fully rested after two weeks, but BG’s winter break was a beautiful four weeks long, and to be honest, I could’ve done five happily. Even with a month to do whatever I wanted, it was surprisingly not enough time to see all of my friends I wanted to catch up with and do all of the things I wanted to do while working, attending family events, and getting some good sleep. Nevertheless, I was the most content I had been in a long time. I love being at school, yet everyone’s stress/pressures affect me as well as them, and getting away to just focus on what I needed was a breath of fresh air.
I often think of my brain like our solar system: my Sun is everything related to my person, and the planets orbiting in my brain are external stressors from other people/things, etc. It was nice to have those planets slow their orbit for a while. Something that really helped was that I deleted most of my social media. Even after coming back to school, I kept TikTok and Instagram off of my phone (I didn’t have Snapchat, to begin with) I could not be happier. I am not going to waste words by describing how helpful getting off of social media has been for me, but to sum it up shortly, without the pressures/stresses of complete strangers infiltrating my mind and speeding up those planet’s orbits, I feel free. I still had Pinterest where I spent many hours creating and adding to my existing boards, but it brought me joy. Without the mindless scrolling I would do on TikTok, I spent a bunch more time with my family—something I had missed while at school. The random comments from my little brothers that make me laugh till my stomach hurt, my dogs being their silly and quirky selves, and my parents singing and dancing in the kitchen with me made my break the best it could have been. My baby nephew would come over on Thursdays and Fridays and we’d spend the day watching him babble, play with his toys, and try and hold baby conversations with us. I got to see plenty of my brothers’ hockey games, watch movies with my mom and dad, and saw my best friends and caught up on their lives at their respective schools. Christmas was wonderful and filled with love and laughs—it was all I could ask for. After a tumultuous year prior, 2022 (and the entire month of December) felt like a gift or prize I had been working toward for so long.
My 2023 resolution is to focus on what makes me feel whole and feeds my spirit. Some of that included practicing my favorite hobbies. I did yoga, made art, watched multiple movies, listened to music, wrote, and read. I plan to keep up with that this year. My family, friends, hobbies, education, and health are my priority this year, and I hope they are a priority for you, too.
Despite my great month, going back to school was difficult. As much as I am grateful for my friends here at school, I felt a loneliness that was much more intense than I had planned. I know this is just a rough patch, and I look forward to coming out of it as soon as possible. I truly love it at school and at home and balancing the two is a challenge worth overcoming. New classes for the spring semester have kept me busy and interested in learning new material, and for that, I am grateful. I am also looking forward to spring coming and bringing better weather.
Hopefully, you realize that you are not alone if you are feeling similar to how I am. Good things are coming! Expressing gratitude for the things you hold near and dear to your heart helps with the emotions and prioritizing your rest and well-being are of utmost importance in taking care of yourself. Here’s to the new year and all of the memories and adventures it will bring for all of us!
Xoxo