One of the biggest struggles with winter break is filling all the empty space in your schedule. During the first few days you have no problem binge watching TV shows you missed or catching up on movies you have been dying to see. After finishing four seasons of Gilmore Girls or re-watching old episodes of your favorite reality TV show sometimes you just can’t stare at your computer screen anymore.
Don’t get me wrong: naps and catching up on sleep is always a good plan B. We are certainly sleep deprived during the semester and especially during finals season. Shout out to my fellow students chugging Red Bulls, 5 Hour Energies or cups and cups of coffee! Finals struggles are real so use your vacation to sleep!
Once you feel like you’ve exhausted those obvious choices, here are some other ways to feel like you accomplished something in your time away from Brandeis!
1) Catch up on a hobby – winter break is a great time to catch up on a hobby you might not have time for during the semester. Whether you are a total book nerd and have a list of five different books you want to finish or you love writing but can’t find the time, this is your chance!
2) Pick up a new hobby – if you have something you have always dreamed of starting vacation is a great time to do that! Whether it’s getting better at crafting or a new skill like blogging, photography, art or creative writing, take a chance and explore something new!
3) See old friends – keeping in touch with high school friends can be tough when you are across the country from each other. Make a time to grab a cup of coffee or a meal with them and hear all about their lives in college.
4) Exercise – every college student is not a stranger to the line, “I am going to go to the gym every week and stay in shape!” When it comes down to it that is a lot harder than anticipated. Use your free time to get back on the wagon. Go check out a workout class at your local gym or go for a run on the treadmill. The hardest part is starting!
5) Cook or bake – a lot of people come to college and they love to cook. At Brandeis cooking for ourselves is almost impossible given the state of a lot of the appliances on our campus. Take the chance to cook some of your favorite recipes in your own kitchen. Explore some new easy recipes you can take back to school and share with friends.
6) Prep for next semester – I know the last thing you want to do is to think about your next semester. Sometimes having textbooks and notebooks ready to go on the first day of class makes it a lot less stressful when you come back on Sunday!
Have an amazing, relaxing and productive break Brandeis!
Photo Sources:
http://www.fcsok.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Reading-2.jpg
http://redthread.utah.edu/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Baking-with-exchang…
http://s.hswstatic.com/gif/exercise-happiness-1.jpg
http://www.skintastic.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/relax-at-home.jpg