Throughout the nation, millions of college students have been working vigorously for academic success. Unfortunately, there’s just not enough time to relax and catch a break in many school systems. Many of us college students tend to have the weekends off, and some random days throughout the week off, but those aren’t “days off. Throughout the off days, college students work on homework, projects, and online quizzes, as well as study, read, analyze textbooks, etc. Thankfully, we have spring break, which is a full week off of school, and many students tend not to have any work to do throughout the week. Spring break, in my opinion, comes at one of the most vital times because we only have a couple of months left in the school year, and most importantly, it’s a major pitstop before we get to the finals. I’ll tell you about a few benefits of Spring break and what some of our amazing MSJC students said about Spring break.
The first benefit that Spring break can help with is our stress. Unfortunately, stress is one thing that almost every person in the world has felt it was for a job interview, work, pointless drama, or millions of other things that cause stress. “Spring break just relieves us of our stress. Even if it’s only a week, even just one day can help, especially with things like jobs. It just helps to get a little off your shoulders,” Adam Moreno explained why spring break benefits college students. Luckily, spring break lets us relax and do one of the best things we can do for stress: sleep. “A long break from school can improve teenagers’ physical health. Stress and anxiety can cause sleeplessness, changes in appetite and weight, high blood pressure, and irritability”. Johnson, S. Ironically enough, every student that I was able to interview said that they were going to prioritize sleep. Spring break can also allow us to use some coping strategies for anxiety throughout the off week.
Throughout the school year, we’re bombarded with loads of work that’s due within a certain time frame, which can cause a lot of anxiety. On top of that, you can get hit with quizzes and projects, which can affect your grade in an instant which can also cause anxiety. Some things that help with anxiety are hanging out with friends and family, breathing exercises, and listening to music. A Belfast study shows that music therapy reduces anxiety and depression in children, teens, and even older adults”.
The last reason Spring break benefits college students is that it can be a great way to heal from burnout. Burnout is something that most students feel towards the end of both semesters. For many students, the first sense of burnout usually comes two weeks before Christmas break, when many students feel sluggish, and you can’t process information as well as usual. With burnout, you tend to feel exhausted, zone out, and can’t take in the information like usual. Burnout can lead to more absent days, more missed assignments, and an impact on overall academic performance.
Overall, there are countless benefits to what spring break can bring, such as healing from burnout, helping with anxiety, and helping with stress. One MSJC student said, “I’m looking forward to just relaxing, and getting prepped for upcoming modules and that sort of stuff. We students should take the time to relax and sleep during spring break, but preparing for what’s coming next for the rest of the semester was inspiring, so I had to do it myself. Good luck to every student for the rest of the semester, and let’s finish strong. You got this.
