Most of us are not spending our holiday breaks the way we usually would and it’s pretty understandable to get a little down in the dumps about that. The world is in a chaotic state right now and it’s impacting all of us in different ways, but that shouldn’t stop you from enjoying time away from your studies and a change of pace over the holidays. Here are a few ways to help keep your spirits up over your holiday break.
- Keeping Your Spirits Up Over the Holidays
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Spend Time With Those You Love
Because of the pandemic we are currently in, it’s safest for all of us to avoid being around people that are not in our household. Fortunately for us we have all sorts of technology that lets us connect with one another. Facetime, Zoom, and Google Hangouts are wonderful options to safely spend time with those you love. Spice up your Facetime by cooking a dish with your best friend. Pick a recipe that you’ll both enjoy and make it together over Facetime. Teleparty, formerly Netflix Party, has a browser extension that allows you and your friends to stream the same show or movie at the same time. Use Teleparty to host a movie with your friends and family to get the full movie night experience from the comfort of your room.
- Relax
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It sounds simple and obvious, but it is important to actually set aside downtime for yourself. When was the last time you genuinely felt relaxed? Not scrolling through your phone, or procrastinating on an assignment, but truly relaxed. Over your holiday break, pencil in a set amount of time that is realistic for your schedule to watch a movie, or go for a walk, or even just take a nap. Scheduling the time you have to relax makes it easier to ensure that you will actually get around to relaxing. If you don’t use a planner, set a reminder on your phone that will send you a notification a few minutes before your scheduled relaxation time. Make sure that the reminder describes your desired relaxing activity so it’ll be clear that this is the time for you to relax.
- Maintain Your Sleep Schedule
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We all do it every year: Winter break comes and you stay up late because you don’t have assignments, you don’t have class, and you may not have anywhere to be. But once the first day of classes roll around, you’re struggling to get to sleep at a decent time because you’ve been binging shows on Netflix until the wee hours of the morning for the past month. Don’t do it! Staying up a little later than you do during the school year won’t throw you off too much, but staying up until 4 AM watching Grey’s Anatomy will definitely mess up your sleep schedule. Even if you only start getting your sleep schedule back on track during the later half of the break, it’s better than waiting until the night before class starts.
- Spend Time With Those You Love
-
Because of the pandemic we are currently in, it’s safest for all of us to avoid being around people that are not in our household. Fortunately for us we have all sorts of technology that lets us connect with one another. Facetime, Zoom, and Google Hangouts are wonderful options to safely spend time with those you love. Spice up your Facetime by cooking a dish with your best friend. Pick a recipe that you’ll both enjoy and make it together over Facetime. Teleparty, formerly Netflix Party, has a browser extension that allows you and your friends to stream the same show or movie at the same time. Use Teleparty to host a movie with your friends and family to get the full movie night experience from the comfort of your room.
The holidays are looking different this year, but you can still make the most of it. Take this time to relax, catch up on some sleep, and safely spend time with those you love. The world may feel like it’s up in flames, but you can still use your holiday break as time to chill. Trust me, you deserve it. Stay safe and happy holidays!