Winter Break Survival Tips

By Allie Caton on December 2, 2017

Winter break is just around the corner. We are in the trenches of finals, projects, and papers, but the sweet relief of winter break is just enough within our grasp to keep us going. The beginning of break will be like a big breath of fresh air with hours of empty free time, Mom’s homemade meals, and the promise of holiday celebrations.

via Pexels

But once the holidays and excitement are over, you might start itching to get back to the structure and stimulation of school. The final weeks of winter break might drag on, but there are things you can do to stay busy and active during your free time. Here are a few tips to help get you through winter break:

Start a Workout Regimen 

If you aren’t a gym buff already, working out is a great way to break up your days of bingeing Netflix and burn off the excess holiday calories. There are tons of ways to start an exercise program. The most obvious one is that you can join a gym; however, that might not be reasonable for just the short amount of time that you are on break. Luckily, the internet has tons of resources for exercise, from beginner plans to advanced plans. YouTube has thousands of workout videos that are completely free to watch and are doable from home.

Volunteer

Volunteering is a great way to stay socially active during your break, and it’s something that can enhance your resume. The holidays are a great time to volunteer for a multitude of charities in any area of the country. There are so many local opportunities that you are probably not even aware of. Not only does volunteering keep your days busy, but it can be an incredibly meaningful experience and one that connects you with the community around you. It also doesn’t hurt to have something to show for your winter break on your resume!

Travel

Winter break is usually a pretty long stretch of time, one that could definitely accommodate a short trip! Get a couple of friends and take a road trip to the beach or find a cheap flight to NYC — anything that can get you out and exploring instead of stuck on your couch at home. You don’t have to spend a bunch of money to go somewhere; just taking a few day trips over the course of the break to new places in your state are a great way to break up your time in a way that’s fun and exciting.

Passion Project

If you are a creative at heart, you could come up with a fun project to do over the course of the break. This could be something that you be put on your resume or not, as long as it’s fun and a good use of your time. Some examples of this could be putting together a scrapbook, starting a blog related to your professional interests, creating a children’s book, or compile a mini booklet of your favorite recipes to take back to school. It could even be as simple as setting a goal for yourself to clean up your LinkedIn and resume over the course of the break; anything that you can keep yourself accountable for and have a good time doing.

Manage Expectations

One of the hardest parts of winter break is going from complete freedom at college, to moving back in with your parents. The best way to handle this is to go into the break expecting to have to, at least partially, slip back into the rules and routine that you lived with during high school. If you go into winter break expecting to be able to do all the same things that you do at school, you might run into some tense situations with your parents. It’s not worth getting into huge blowup fights over such a short amount of time. Sometimes its best to pick your battles and just grin and bear it until it’s time to go back to school.

Oftentimes, winter break is better in theory than it is in reality. The lack of obligations and responsibility is great, but sometimes winter break can get a bit boring. In order to get through the long stretch of time, take these tips to heart and try to think of your own. There are things that everyone can do to fill their time with something meaningful either personally or professionally, take a few minutes to think about what you can do over break to make the most of it!

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