It is officially reading week for the fall semester! With all the Zoom classes and online work adjustments, the semester is moving along so fast. I know that this break is very needed for a lot of people, especially if you feel that the workload is extra intense this year. Whether you want to catch up on school work or make it a mini retreat from home, it is so important to get the most out of your reading week while it’s here! This article will suggest some easy things to do for yourself now and potentially help you through the rest of the semester!
- Relax & Recharge
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This is the arguably the most important step to take during reading week! No matter how prepared I try to be, the last week of classes always ends with me staying up late to work on all the last minute details for my assignments. I will definitely be taking full advantage of the ability to sleep in and properly rest up in the next week! Part of relaxing and recharging is to also practice self care. As bad as it sounds, I always end up pushing my body and health by staying up late to get things done, and I know lots of other university students go through the same struggle. Whether self care means having a day to yourself, taking a long bath, meditating or writing down different affirmations, don’t skip out on this amazing opportunity to catch up with yourself!
- Practice Healthy Habits
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As I have already been mentioning, I clearly do not keep up with the best health habits during the last days of classes before reading week. One of my worst habits is drinking an insane amount of coffee. I’m notorious for usually getting a cough and sore throat by the end of the week. I definitely do not want that to happen anymore, so my advice is to drink tons of water and try to eat a good amount of fruits and vegetables. Since the gyms are closing again for the next 28 days due to the new COVID-19 restrictions you will have to be creative with at home or outdoor exercises. I love walking as a way to get moving and recover from all the stress! There are tons of ways to access at home workouts from YouTube or Tik Tok. While it is very tempting to stay in bed all day for the next week, trying to get in some exercise and practice healthy habits will make you feel a lot better!
- School Work
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For a lack of a better word, work is what reading week is technically all about. While some people have used it for mini trips home or to new places, that certainly can’t happen much this year, so school work is a big priority. Try to start your school work early on in the break. I know that is a very obvious thing to do, but the worst part is doing it all on the last few days and feeling like you didn’t get much done. Prioritize by doing all the things you need to catch up on and then try to start a few new things that are coming up. This can be as simple as making outlines for the assignment, essay or test. Starting an outline is something so easy to achieve and takes away the difficulty of needing to start it but not knowing how to. If you do a little amount of work each day, or even make a reading week schedule for what to study and what school work to focus on, I promise this will be so helpful and not a big hassle to get through.
- Organize
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One of the best things to take advantage of during reading week is the ability to organize! This does not necessarily mean your room or desk either. Something I am looking forward to is cleaning up my Google Drive, notes app and my camera roll! While these places might not be physically messy like a room can be, I always find they need to be reorganized in folders or delete whatever is not necessary to have anymore. I know that the places that are the least organized in my life need the most attention after a crazy week of classes. Organization is a great way to take care of yourself and feel really relaxed or satisfied. This can also mean doing a big deep clean of your room if that is what you want or need! Or if it is something as simple as making your bed that will make you feel better, then definitely do it! Just know that there are tons of different ways to feel and be organized.
- Stream My Favorite Shows & Movies
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This is also one of the best parts of reading week! Being able to focus on a show or movie without feeling guilty for not doing your work is so nice. Now that October is here and Halloween is approaching, watching themed content is a great way to get in the holiday spirit! There is tons of different themed content to watch on Netflix and Disney+ to do so. With COVID-19 limitations, this is something you can do with your friends on Netflix Party or the new group watch feature on Disney+! Whatever you want to watch or rewatch during the break, certainly make the most of it. I made a list of all the things I want to catch up on and watch during the week, and it is something so simple that everyone else can do as well. Out of everything you do this next week, make sure you watch some of your favorite things. It is a guaranteed way to take your mind off all the stress and laugh a little!
I hope this article helped you think of some easy and great things to achieve over the reading week to make you feel more productive, healthy and relaxed. Despite school being online, it can still be very stressful, so make sure to prioritize yourself a lot on this break. If there are different things you want to do beyond the suggestions from this article, make a list and plan out how to get it all done!