With spring break having just ended I am now faced with the age-old struggle every college student faces after coming back from a break – getting back into the mindset of being at school. The nature of college is all-consuming. Every moment you’re on campus is a moment spent thinking about assignments to turn in, work for organizations, and social responsibilities. By the time break comes around, it’s deeply needed by students. Whether you’ve been gone from school for a couple of months or a week, there’s a dramatic shift that happens when you go from being tasked with multiple responsibilities to having no classes and no classwork.
As a self-proclaimed procrastination queen when it comes to leaving campus for a break — I wait until the last minute to pack, buy my ticket, and enter break mode. It’s all for a reason. It’s to make the transition into break and out of break as seamless as possible.
Prep for Coming Back Starts BEFORE Your Break Starts
The worst feeling when you’re on break is knowing you have work to do. It’s like an anvil looming over your head as you try to enjoy the break you have. When I’m about to leave, I don’t like to leave a laundry list of things to do over break.
Now, some of you might be different from me. You might be thinking — but I like to get work done over break, it’s easier for me compared to working when I’m not on break! Well, then, that’s great for you! Everyone operates at their own pace. But, what’s important to know is that the more work you can save yourself from doing when you get back, the better.
Give Yourself Time to Adjust
Let me paint a picture for you. It’s the day before classes start and you get back to campus at 2:00 a.m. — just six hours before your 8 a.m. You tiredly drag your luggage into your room and collapse into bed immediately. When you wake up, it’s past 12 p.m., and you’ve missed all your classes for the day. Which is a normal reaction when getting back that late and still being on break mentally!
However, a change that could be made is trying to get back earlier — of course, sometimes the time you get back is out of your control. But make sure to give yourself at least time to unpack and situate yourself. For me, that looks like coming back a day early, for others that might look a few hours to unpack. However, it’s harder to adjust back to school when you get back and a few hours later, it’s time for you to get ready for class.
Review Your Schedule
This is the last tip I have, so consider this the most important: review your class schedule and general schedule of your week before you get back. Now, I’m not saying start planning out your day back during break. Just take a look at what you need to do when you get back, so you can plan out some time for yourself or mentally prepare yourself. This way, you’ll have a clear idea of what to expect and can ease into your responsibilities without feeling overwhelmed.
What You Should Remember
These tips are personal to myself as they’re what help me adjust! What helps you could look totally different from what helps me. Because this is general advice for any break. Adjusting to the spring semester after winter break looks different than adjusting to coming back after a week-long break.
Burnout is real and no matter how you spend your break, don’t stress about what you need to do when you come back. Remember, a little preparation can go a long way in helping you stay organized and maintain your focus as the semester begins!