With only a few weeks left in the semester, exams on the horizon, final deadlines to keep up with, and the rush of the holidays, it’s pretty accurate to say that stress levels are probably running at an all-time high for most of us.
However, with another tedious semester coming to an end we can look forward to doing all those fun and relaxing things. For example, movie marathons and partying, you know, things we did during the semester but now we get to do it without the added layer of guilt. In all seriousness, though, you got yourself through another semester of essays, assignments, and all-nighters. So, you deserve to put away everything college-related, destress, and make the most out of your winter break!
The best possible way to relax during winter break is probably knowing that you did your best during finals week. Personally, planning ahead is my go-to way to make the end of the semester a little less stressful. Scheduling your week ahead of time and planning out your tasks will make it easier for you to allocate plenty of time to study and keep up with self-care. It helps get rid of uncertainty and the anxiety that it causes and can be used as a way to track your progress especially during these last few weeks of the semester.
Here are a couple more ideas to help you de-stress during the winter break:
Rest
When winter break finally begins, one of the first things you should do is catch up on all that missed sleep. Let the exhaustion consume you, take a few hundred naps, no one’s judging.
Make a holiday to-do list
Write down a couple of fun things you want to do during the break. Roadtrip, shopping, spending time with family, the options are endless. What’s most important is you finally have time to do the things that are important to you and therapeutic in a way as even the smallest things can bring you some peace. You can start off your break by just focusing on a self-care to-do list- make your bed, clean your room, listen to some calming music or dance your heart away. Just prioritize your mental health first and then move on to bigger activities like the ones listed above.
Find a new hobby
If you don’t do well with too much free time on your hands (I’m guilty of this) or get bored easily, school breaks probably make your stress worse as you have nothing productive to do. In this case, you can always try finding new hobbies. You finally have the opportunity to put the textbooks down and read something else for fun. Try listening to new music, journaling, or giving meditating a shot; it’s arguably the best method to destress.
Binge Watch
There’s no going wrong with this one. You could do a movie marathon or put on Netflix in the background while you aimlessly scroll through your phone and to make it even better add in some comfort food, order take out or just eat a bunch of desserts. It’s a guaranteed way to finally escape from all school-related stress.
Make Yourself A Priority!
These are just a few ideas to help you have the most relaxing winter break possible. I’m sure you can come up with at least a hundred more ideas best suited for you.
We get so caught up with trying to balance classes and work all while putting in time, effort, and hard work (hopefully), that we sometimes forget to just breathe (figuratively, of course). We tend to push ourselves so hard by packing our schedules that we leave little time for fun. Use this winter break to check in with yourself and remind yourself you’re allowed to slow down and relax from time to time, make yourself a priority, it’s the least you can do.