The Importance of Taking a Break
By Sam Washburn
This semester has presented many challenges for students, but perhaps the toughest one is the lack of a fall break. Fall break is representative of many things—the halfway mark in the semester, a chance to reconnect with family and friends from home, and the opportunity to reset your mental state. Without fall break, many students (myself included) are feeling burnt out. This burnout is completely normal to experience, especially since many students feel this exhaustion during normal semesters with a fall break built in.
When burnout occurs, you can lose motivation and feel even more tired than the average college student already does. This makes it especially difficult to balance schoolwork, studying, and socializing with friends. It can also make socializing with friends feel like a chore, rather than a relaxing and enjoyable activity. That is why it is so important to step away from Villanova and take a mental break during each semester. While everybody needs a break at some point, breaks also look different for everyone.
For some people, going home may be the best form of a break. If you live close to Villanova and ensure you are taking necessary precautions to stay safe and healthy, I would encourage you to go home for a weekend. You could even go home for a longer period of time if your online classes allow flexibility. Allow yourself to just do nothing! Lay in bed, watch movies with your family, and nap as much as you can. At Villanova, students can feel pressured to go, go, go, 24/7. There can be so much pressure to keep yourself busy—especially on the weekends—which can lead to even more exhaustion. Weekends are meant to leave you feeling recharged. Don’t worry about missing out at Villanova while you’re home. Your friends will still be there when you get back and there’s not much of a social scene going on now anyways.
If you’re not able to go home, consider taking a COVID-friendly day trip to somewhere nearby. Getting away from campus, where most students spend the majority of their time, can be incredibly refreshing. Valley Forge National Park is less than a 30-minute drive away and can be a great destination to get some fresh air. If you don’t have a car, Villanova runs a shuttle to the KOP Mall on the weekends. Even getting away from campus to a new setting for a few hours can be restorative.
If you’re not able to leave campus, be sure to take time for yourself to recharge and do nothing. Whether that’s an evening, a day, or even a whole weekend, taking some time for yourself can help your mindset get back into a good place. Go for a walk and get some fresh air, bake something you’ve always wanted to try, or watch a movie.
It’s okay to feel overwhelmed, burnt out, and unmotivated right now. Prioritize yourself before anybody else and be sure to take that much needed rest, no matter what form it takes.
