Fall break, taking place this year at ISU from November 18th through the 26th, is excitedly awaited by students University-wide. Since it’s the first official “break” since the long, Labor Day weekend in early September, students have had plenty of time to become overwhelmed with their day-to-day lifestyles. Between managing classes, work, organization involvement, and a social life, it is important to take the long week to focus on reenergizing yourself for the upcoming final exam week.
My first tip is to catch up on sleep. It can be difficult to maintain a consistent sleep schedule during the school year with a constantly changing class schedule. Midterm exams, typically occurring in October, can also put a damper on the recommended hours for each night’s rest. While the time is allowed, give yourself the gift of going to bed at a decent hour of the night, and sleeping in until you naturally wake up. This way, you will return to school feeling ready to conquer your days.
My next suggestion would be to take time for the things you enjoy. Whatever your hobbies may be, spend time doing them over break. With such a busy lifestyle during the school year, often times our favorite activities get pushed to the back burner. Remind yourself of the enjoyment that comes with prioritizing your hobbies. These little gifts of self-care are a huge help to your mental wellbeing.
Going along with getting rest and allowing time for your favorite hobbies, I would recommend focusing on other forms of self-care, too. Simply being mindful and relaxing are very important. Take a bath, do a full skincare routine, journal, meditate, go on a walk- whatever activity helps you calm yourself and gain the motivation to finish the semester on the right foot.
Another piece of advice I have would be to spend time with your loved ones. Whether you celebrate Thanksgiving and spend the day with your family, have a “Friendsgiving” get-together, or simply just spend quality time with your friends and family in a non-holiday setting, you can gain so much happiness and rejuvenation from reminding yourself of your positive support system to power through the last of the semester.
My final piece of advice would be to take advantage of the Black Friday deals. As college students, our budgets are not always the highest, so use the sales to purchase some items you have been wanting since the start of the semester, or to get a head start on gift-buying for your beloved support system. Sometimes retail therapy is just what is needed to feel fresh going into the end of the school year, and why not do so when you can spend less money?
As a last resort to fill the time, sometimes the pressure of school cannot be entirely escaped during breaks. Whatever homework is absolutely necessary to be completed over break, take the time to complete it in order to avoid the stress when arriving back to school. However, try not to get too far ahead when it comes to assignments. I made this mistake the last two years, and I ended up burning myself out further, and then being bored before final exams, and exhausted when I took them. Be in the moment, and do not challenge yourself to finish your course assignments over fall break.
All in all, remember to take some time for yourself this fall. Do not feel guilty for self-care; in the long run, you will feel much better physically, mentally, and emotionally by completing these activities during your week off. Enjoy your fall break, Redbirds!