It’s that time in the semester: Everyone is sick. Everyone misses their dogs. Everyone wants to be in their own bed at home. Everyone goes through it, and luckily as the holidays approach, it’s the time of year when a much needed break is right around the corner. There are lots of ways to spend your break, you just have to find what you’re craving most when you finally get in the car and head home after some good times and rough times that everyone feels throughout the first semester.

For some people, the most important thing they do on break is just relax. If you need to sleep in, catch up on some Netflix, or just lie in bed and not think about the impending disaster that is finals, then feel free to do it. That’s why it’s called a “break”. Take some time off from the books and recharge so you aren’t so dead when finals hits. Enjoy that Thanksgiving Dinner with no regrets and take a nap at 2:00 P.M. if that’s how you want to spend your day. It’s all up to you!A little time at home in your own bed may be just the thing you need in order to be motivated when December rolls around and “All I Want For Christmas is You” is your daily jam.

While taking some to do nothing doesn’t work for everybody, there are other ways to spend your break. For some students, break actually serves as a time to catch up on same work that got put off when classes were in session. Studying and reviewing the material over break can be helpful because it is a chance to familiarize yourself with the material so you don’t have to cram it all in once you get back. It’s easier to space your studying out when you don’t have as many obligations compared to what you have at school. Even if you spend your time catching up, be sure to enjoy your break too!

For some people, the most exciting thing to do on a break is to travel. Some people visit families in other cities or take a weekend trip while they have time. Most people really enjoy traveling, whether that be a new place or an old favorite. Extended breaks like Christmas break is also a time when some students find time to go abroad with a club or program they have been long awaiting. Maybe you don’t have a reason at all to travel, but you want to go just because you enjoy it. Go for it! Spend your break in the way that will make you happiest.

There are many ways to spend your break; these are just a few! Try to find sometime to do things you enjoy, whatever they may be. Maya Angelou once said, “Each person deserves a day away in which no problems are confronted, no solutions searched for.  Each of us needs to withdraw from the cares which will not withdraw from us.”