Study Break is a great time to visit family and catch up on what needs to be done. But not everyone is so fortunate to go home for the week. I had to stay home in the fall for Study Break because I couldn’t afford a flight home. And after finishing my school work pretty early in the week, every day seemed very redundant with no friends around and no classes to go to. So for those stuck in your dorm rooms, these are some ideas to keep you occupied
Pick up a new hobby
You would be surprised how much time you have to learn new things. This is the perfect opportunity to try something you’ve always wanted to do. I learned how to make hooked rugs from a kit I got months ago and never opened and, after a lot of trial and error, I’m not half bad.
Reorganize your room
Cleaning your room is always a daunting task. But even if it’s already clean, you can always find a way to reorganize the clutter or find things that you thought were lost forever. You could even find some decorations to spice up the room. I used the time to hang up some posters I had bought weeks before and I purchased some jewels so I could bejewel my fridge.
Read a book
I personally love to read books, but I rarely have the time to read something that isn’t a required textbook. There’s no stress about what other books to read—you could probably spend a whole day getting swept up in some new stories. I enjoy a good romance novel, but read whatever is your favourite.
Call friends and family
Even though you don’t get to see your friends and family back home, you still have plenty of time to call and catch up with them. I know that I haven’t been able to spend the quality time I want with my mom since I got here, but being able to use the time during Study Break to have a long talk was worthwhile. I promise, your friends and family will appreciate you taking the time to call them.
Learn a dance
Doing things that are out of your comfort zone is always a great use of your time. And you’d be surprised how long it takes to learn 30 seconds of a dance from a movie. I personally learned the line dance from Footloose, but use whatever song that makes you want to get up and dance.
Change your appearance
Sometimes you need some sort of change to feel control in your life, and even just a slight change in appearance can help brighten your mood. Especially when you’re only seeing yourself for the week, you can get very bored of yourself. Whether it’s painting your nails or figuring out a new hairstyle, it can help boost your confidence and change your patterns a bit. I dyed my hair pink during Study Break and it was probably my favourite decision I made last semester.
Do laundry
In my residence it’s almost impossible to find a time when the machines aren’t full. And even if I find a washing machine, I can’t fit all my laundry in one machine. Laundry is a very time-consuming task, so Study Break is a great time to get all your laundry done. Especially if you’re like me and accidentally stained your towel pink from the hair dye.
Take a walk
This definitely depends on the weather, but putting in your earbuds with your favourite music while walking around this campus is very therapeutic. It’s a beautiful campus that’s sometimes hard to appreciate when you have to rush to class. Whenever I’m feeling stressed, I always put in my AirPods and walk to my favourite bench on campus and look at the view.
Catch up on new TV shows
There are always new shows to catch up on, and if you’re like me, I refuse to watch a new one until I have time to binge the whole thing. With a full week to do whatever you want, there’s tons of time to start watching the new seasons of You, Outer Banks, or Love is Blind.