In the midst of a pandemic, things on college campuses have looked a lot different. One of the ways this has been a shock for students is the removal of fall and spring breaks.
Students look forward to these extended days off before midterms or finals as a way of relaxing, and just taking a break from studying. Sadly, these breaks have turned into once a month mental health days to keep the spread of COVID-19 to a minimum.
Though the lack of a break has definitely taken its toll on all of us at this point, it has been nice to look forward to those few days off in the middle of the month. This month, Susquehanna was awarded an extra day after the already allotted mental health day. When we got the email stating this, all of us were so relieved.
Not only does this mean we can sleep in two days in a row, but it means we can kind of take the much needed break we have been longing for. A lot of students use these days to catch up on work, so the mental health aspect of it normally goes out the window. For me, I try to get my work done, or mostly done, in the days leading up to the mental health days in order to have a true day off.
Taking a mental break from school and life though, is super important. Even though it is not the normal five or six days in a row, it’s still enough to rejuvenate. I highly recommend that everyone try to catch up on their much needed sleep, do some retail therapy, lay in the sun if it’s nice out, or just binge watch a show all day.
All of these outlets are sure to help you escape mentally for a few hours during your busy semester. Especially with finals approaching fast, we all need a moment to just relax, so make sure that if your school has offered you a day to do so, you take full advantage of it.