As someone who, pretty much without fail, suffers from the winter blues each year, I am in great need of mood-boosting activities. Being stuck in my hometown barely an hour outside of my college is definitely not as exciting as a tropical vacation, but I am determined to make my break even more refreshing than travel. The fickle weather that characterizes New England springs does little to lift my mood, so I have decided that, this year, I need to find “spring” before the seasons decide to do the same. So, here is my spring break to-do list:
1) Exercise
Everyone says exercise to uplift your mood, but that is because it works. For me, exercise has become a recovered love as I just began regularly working out at my college gym after abandoning my running career in high school. So, as someone who does not have a gym membership, my goal is to find a gym I like over spring break by buying day passes for a few different local gyms. Then, when I return home for summer, I will know where I want to be a member to continue my workout routines through the summer.
2) Read a Guilty Pleasure Book
This read must specifically be a guilt pleasure book from which I hope to glean no life lessons. I always attempt to read “the classics” outside of school to expand my literary knowledge, but most acclaimed books are also mentally taxing to read. So, I am only interested in living vicariously through gossipy characters with charming lives; however, I would make an exception for a good psychological thriller. Some of my favorite lighthearted reads are: When Life Gives You Lululemons, any of the Crazy Rich Asians books and Oona Out of Order.
3) Prep my Spring (and Summer) Wardrobes
My inbox is currently full of promotional emails for new spring releases and I am very tempted to buy clothes that will not be in-season for months in New England. However, I still think that prematurely adding spring colors to my wardrobe would be acceptable. Alo Yoga seems to always be dropping new colors, and although pricey, Alo clothes always bring me serotonin. The brand’s latest releases have been a new tennis skirt and the addition of the color emerald green to already popular styles. Aerie is another store prepped for sunshine with its annual release of bathing suits going on sale all of the time. With visions of sun, I am also looking to add to my sunglasses collection and Quay is one of my favorite brands for that category. Quay is always dropping new styles with its “Total Vibe” collection of large square frames just hitting the market.
4) Self Care Tan
Finally, I want to try a spray tan while I am home during break. As someone who never self-tans, I feel that it is safest to take the plunge and get a spray tan while I am home for a week. Even if I will not be traveling, I feel that looking like I did will improve my mood, and accentuate my spring wardrobe. For people who want a glow but not a spray tan, Isle of Paradise and Tanologist tanning drops have promising reviews and I am personally a fan of Drunk Elephant’s D-Bronzi drops for a little bit of a glow.