My classmates and I have just returned to campus from spring break, a long-awaited bit of time off from a decidedly busy semester. I was definitely feeling the weight of my projects catching up to me, and I missed my family more and more leading up to the day I left to visit home. I wanted a break so bad that I even left my laptop at my apartment for the entire break. No schoolwork, just rest. Well, at least that’s what I had in mind. Sometimes things don’t always go as planned.
The plan was simple: my partner and I would drive home and just have a nice, relaxing time with my family for a few days. My partner had to leave to go back to work after three days, so we tried to make the most of it. We went to the Truman Presidential Library and Museum, popped into coffee shops and stopped by a local game shop. It was a nice way to spend some time together with my family and him all at the same time. After he left, things got a little less planned out. Some miscommunication occurred between my siblings, and their friends and my mom made things a little tense. Trying to make plans to maximize limited time while also juggling two people with plans is not what I would call easy. In the end, it was still nice. A break is a break, however that comes.
However, to be completely honest, time away from school doesn’t always feel like a break. Deadlines, projects and overthinking were still things I was dealing with despite the distance from the actual work. Leaving my laptop didn’t stop me from checking my email and schedule. I was still checking on the progress of my forms for my capstone from the couch. Senioritis is such a real thing, and it ate up some of my time away.
I am not alone in this situation. I know plenty of my other friends were dealing with similar stress, between school, family and work. Spring break is such an alluring sense of “getting away” that it often overshadows the fact that it’s not much of a break anymore. The idealized version of a week away from school is still something that I think people rely on, myself included. My spring breaks have never been a week-long party. The closer I get to graduating and into grad school, I can only imagine that my spring breaks will come with a similar caveat. The work still needs to be done, regardless of how much I need a break.
Now I don’t want to be a complete downer, so I can at least give a little positive advice. Time is what you make of it. I love a good break, even if it’s short-lived. You don’t have to pick some time-consuming and meticulously planned thing to do unless you want to. Small things can be just as rewarding. Find a new coffee shop, walk in a park or take pictures in front of some street art. If you’re more of a homebody, you can still make it fun. Test out a new recipe, have a movie marathon or self-care night. Any bit of time you have to take care of yourself is time well spent. I know it can be difficult to feel like your breaks are going by faster and faster, but taking some time to breathe and relax is so important. I’m with you.