Starbucks has a line of customers out the door, Study Edge is clogged with students and everyone is talking about their grades — it must be finals week.
I’ve always found it funny that in college, the time right before break is so incredibly stressful. Right before the university frees us all to go home and curl up with hot chocolate and homemade food, we are put through the wringer with final exams, project presentations and end-of-the-semester blues. Personally, after finals week is over, I will be in need of some serious down time.
The thing is, downtime is hard to find during your college years, even when you return home and breathe a sigh of relief that the semester is finally over. There are the holidays to think about, Christmas and New Year’s and perhaps even Boxing Day. There are presents to buy, family to see, and your own to-do list grows ever longer even while at home with no exam looming in the distance. Is it too much to ask for a little relaxation this Christmas?
Perhaps I’m just an extremely lazy person, but I sometimes feel almost as stressed while at home as when I’m at college. Often when I go home for the holidays, the things I want to do — finish the book that’s been on my reading list since last year, go out for a siblings-only dinner with my sisters or even make some progress on summer planning — never seem to happen.
Sometimes, when the worry of exams falls away, so does my motivation for other things. It’s upsetting, but I suppose it’s to be expected. After the rush of deadlines, all-nighters and pots of coffee fades away, the lure of simply going with the flow for a while instead of keeping to a meticulous schedule seems very tempting.
In a perfect world, my Winter Break would be an even blend of holiday activities, personal time and catching up with friends. I would eat lots of unhealthy food without feeling guilty at all, have all my gifts wrapped well before Christmas Eve, sleep until noon every day and still manage to make strides in accomplishing all the things I want to do this Winter Break. When New Year’s Eve rolled around, I would clink my elegant champagne glass and write a list of exciting resolutions that, with my organized planning skills, would probably be completed by February.
In a perfect world, I am never stressed for a moment over Winter Break, and when it’s time to head back to school, I feel well rested and prepared to tackle the new semester. I probably already have all my summer plans confirmed.
Unfortunately, we don’t live in a perfect world. My Winter Break will probably have a few stressful events and argumentative moments. My list of resolutions will probably remain incomplete until well past February.
I have realized, despite these upsetting setbacks, this stress is OK.
We’ve all worked hard this past semester, and we probably will work over the break too. In college, work is to be expected, and moments of relaxation are coupled with worries over the always-advancing next semester.
This Winter Break, no matter what your plans are, remember that it’s never going to be a perfect vacation. Not everything will go smoothly. But it doesn’t have to be perfect. What’s important is getting ready for the Spring semester, seeing our loved ones and remembering the spirit and joy of the holidays. If we let ourselves relax, we can always rise to face our next challenges.
Finals are a rough time. Second guessing your goals and doubting yourself is tempting and easy, but sharpen your pencil and keep studying, because the vacation is almost here, and it’s up to us to enjoy it to the fullest.
Happy holidays, everyone!
Sally Greider is a UF English and public relations sophomore.
[A version of this story ran on page 7 on 12/7/2014]
