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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at U Mass Amherst chapter.

It’s that time of the year again. That time of the year when the leaves are a whirl of changing colors and the winds are a howl of autumn spirit. Unfortunately, it’s also that time of the year when midterms are hitting at full momentum and every college student is struggling to choose between an extra hour of sleeping or cramming. Before Fall Break starts, I know that most of us are going to be exhausted and emotionally drained after weeks of midterms. However, that won’t stop our professors from assigning us piles of homework that’s going to be due only a couple of days after the break. So, it might feel difficult to find a breather amidst all the chaos. But, during the week of gratitude, it’s important to be grateful for the time off and to take a real break, instead of stressing out the whole time. Here are 3 ways that you can relax and destress this Fall Break:

 

Spend time with family and friends

When you’re in college, it can get hard to balance your workload and your social life. Don’t beat yourself up over it because it still happens to people with the best time management skills. Over the break, talking to your loved ones can make a big difference in your contentment and it can be a significant mood booster. On Thanksgiving, sit down with the people you love and eat the food you love, so you can feel your stress fade away. Fall break also offers a great opportunity to catch up with old school friends who you haven’t talked to in ages. Explore old memories and take a nostalgia trip in your own hometown!

 

Pick up an old hobby

As mentioned before, it can be hard to manage your time at college. It’s easy to forget about an old hobby that you used to love doing. Remember how happy cooking would make you? Or how peaceful painting would be? Now, you can finally rekindle those old passions! Take some time to do the things you love, even if you might not have done these things in a while. It’s surprising how satisfied you feel after a couple of hours of revisiting a hobby you’re always going to be passionate about.

Sleep and self-care

Ah, sleep. What does that word even mean anymore? Midterms tend to leave you sleepless and cranky, but Fall break is here to help you make up for all that lost sleep. You deserve to sleep in. Take naps. Take plenty of naps. A good amount of sleep will go a long way in relieving that pent up stress. Also, make sure you take care of yourself. Self-care is not given enough importance as it should be given and people often get so wrapped up in work that they don’t put in enough effort into just putting on a face mask, doing 20 jumping jacks, or drinking an extra glass of water. Trust us, you’re going to thank yourself by the end of the week.

Image Credits: 1, 2, 3

Srisuma Movva

Amherst '22

Srisuma Movva is the Secretary of HerCampus UMass Chapter. She is a sophomore, majoring in Computer Science and minoring in Psychology. She enjoys coding & writing, watching old movies, eating dark chocolate, and wearing graphic tees.
Contributors from the University of Massachusetts Amherst