Winter Break is the time for you to recharge after a stressful semester, connect with hometown friends, and allow yourself to prepare for the next semester. While this break is needed and the idea of relaxing 24/7 seems appealing, there will be times where you are bored and just want to return to your friends at college already and get back in the groove. Especially in the month of January, when the holiday spirit is no longer in the air, it can be hard to have five weeks of nothing. This being said, I have found that this time is the best for developing new habits to bring into the New Year and hopefully carry on through Spring Semester. Here is my “Healthy Habit To Do List” I plan to accomplish over winter break, and hopefully fill up some of the never ending spare time I will have over the next month.
No. 1: Adulting
Starting off with the most dreaded task but arguably the most important is what many people call: “adulting.” Being in college is the time where you have to begin to think like an adult and do the tasks our parents probably did for us up until this point. Some ideas for how to dip your toes into this new lifestyle could be, finding a new doctor that is not your pediatrician, schedule and go to any annual appointments you need to have (ex: dentist, eye doctor, dermatologist, etc.), figure out your finances for the next semester and learn to meal prep/cook meals that you will actually eat. All of these tasks can be annoying and time consuming to complete, but I promise going into the next semester having these tasks off your to-do list will make you feel accomplished. Plus, this creates a path in allowing yourself to dive into the adult world and have independence just in time for the New Year and Spring semester.
No. 2: Personal Care.
In the midst of finals, end of the semester, and the transition to the colder months, it can be easy to forget to prioritize yourself and your personal care. This winter break, set a goal of creating the best skin care, hair care, and overall self care routine for yourself. Whether these routines take you 10 minutes or an hour, it will feel so good to develop these healthy habits and spend some time on yourself. Make sure to do your research on products and what will work best for your skin and hair, but really try to prioritize on finding a routine that makes you feel good and look good! Tik Tok is a great and easy place to start in finding ideas and inspiration for your routine; just make sure to start simple because there are so many ideas out there that it can be overwhelming. The self care habits you develop over break will end up becoming part of a routine for you to practice throughout Spring semester and it can benefit you in so many ways!
Third Step: Workout routine.
Sometimes working out seems like the absolute last thing you want to do over winter break, but it can truly be so beneficial in the long run. I’ve found that a lot of college students who no longer play the sport they played in high school, don’t know how to workout and find what works best for them. They used to rely on their sport and practices to keep them in shape, but now that they’re in college, they need to develop their own workouts. When I got to college, I decided that the traditional ways of working out (such as running, weight lifting) were not what worked best for me and I also didn’t enjoy them! This Winter break, it is the perfect time to figure out what type of working out you truly enjoy. Whether it’s cycling (my personal favorite!), running, hiking, skiing, weight lifting, or pilates, just get out and move your body to find what works best for you and bring it into the New Year!
Fourth Step: Fixing your sleep schedule.
Not having school for a month usually means most people will be staying up late and waking up late and overall not creating a good sleep schedule for the next semester. This break, try your best to fix your sleep schedule that finals messed up and find out how many hours of sleep you actually need. Recently, I discovered that I had been sleeping too much, causing me to be tired during the day and I couldn’t understand why. Developing this habit over break and finding out what works for you will allow you to create the best sleep schedule you need to follow and be rested going into the Spring Semester!