Hearing that you’re not going to have a Spring Break is a bummer in itself to say the least. When you add on the fact that the pandemic has made it difficult for us to be able to connect or stay connected with others on our campus or with family and friends at home, while also considering that some of us work full or part-time jobs, take care of or provide for family, have early morning practices and lifts, all while balancing being a full-time student, that decision begins to weigh on you a little more than you were expecting. I think it is important to acknowledge the privilege that many of us reading this have to continue to be able to pursue an education as we juggle the endless cycle of time management, but I think it’s time we give ourselves space to acknowledge that even when we try to do it all, it can be exhausting and sometimes we just feel burnt out.
We live in a day and age where we measure our worth based on productivity in our relationships, our work ethic, our finances, and the number of items we are able to cross off an endless to-do list amongst many other things. We prioritize the external demands of our jobs, classes, and extracurriculars at the expense of our own health. Don’t get me wrong, there are times when we need to be able to dig in and push ourselves past our comfort zone and the limitations we have placed on ourselves, but what no one ever focuses on is the fact that sometimes you need to close the book, put your phone down, take a day off and rest. It’s a mental challenge to be able to admit to ourselves that we need rest when we’re only praised for the all-nighters, the 40+ hour weeks at work for money that is helping to sustain us and others, and giving the last bit of ourselves when there’s nothing left to give. It’s especially difficult to even consider the idea of rest without a Spring Break, it was scheduled time off in the midst of everything happening in our lives, but especially from school.
While it is possible to understand the administrative decision made, it still presents a mental challenge of pushing through the second half of the semester without taking out time for ourselves. It is no surprise that we are still in the midst of a pandemic and that the choice to go without Spring Break this year might have been made to protect the physical health of students from exposure, but what about our emotional and mental health? The things you don’t see so easily unless they are talked about? While the decision has been made for this semester to continue without a Spring Break, I’d like to encourage all of you to schedule time for yourself, whether that’s 10 minutes, 1hour, or a day to do watch your favorite show or movie, listen to your favorite songs and take a walk, cook your favorite meal without burning down the kitchen, or reach out to that friend that you haven’t seen in a while but they’ve been on your mind. Show yourself grace for the time you need to rest, you deserve it. Take a break.
By Sydney Collins
sncollins@vwu.edu