Wahoo it’s winter break!! Congrats to all my friends who made it through finals, even if they were hanging on by a thread. Winter break is great because you get to go home to see all of your family and friends while celebrating the holidays. However, this also means leaving all of your new found friends and freedom that you have at school. It can be especially hard if you don’t feel like you have a “crew” back home.
Once the excitement of the holiday ends, that’s when the boredom can hit. In effort to solve this, I am going to tell you how to stay productive over winter break, enjoy your time, and not drive your family crazy [or not let them drive you crazy ;)]
Schedule Family Time
I like to schedule everything I do especially hanging out with friends. I consider each “hang out” like a date, and I treat my family the same way. Lots of time when I’m at the house, I will be in my room doing my own thing but that upsets my family when I am not wanting to be around them. Of course it’s nothing personal, I just like down time.
So my family’s solution is to schedule our family time. We plan ahead family dinner’s so that there is no miscommunication and everyone can be there. Or we block out time in our calendars for when we are picking up the tree, or going to holiday parties etc. When it comes to my sister and I, we plan special lunch dates so that we feel we are spending enough quality time together.
Get a Job/Side Hustle
I have heard of a bunch of college kids working for UPS as extra helpers. They help the delivery guys during the holiday season because people go crazy with the online orders around Christmas. It is a great job because it is seasonal and my friend says that it pays well.
I on the other hand, opted for my own schedule and a small side hustle of babysitting. It’s great for me because I can babysit 3-4 times a week and make some quick cash but it doesn’t get in the way of me enjoying my break.
Get a gym membership for the month
I love to take workout classes, but last summer I was a member at a gym in Columbus called GO Fitness and I really liked it because of it’s flexibility. I could go whenever I want and not have to worry about cancellation fees. When I came back home, I decided to sign up again for just the month I was here. It’s so tough to motivate in this cold weather but in theory it is a good idea.
Clean your room
Okay so this one is not very fun for some people (I love it haha) but cleaning and organizing is so productive and you will thank yourself later! It’s so nice to come home to a clean room. When I came home from college, I spent a long time unpacking and cleaning to try to make my room feel more homey. I felt like all of my stuff was at school so I am starting to adjust the decor to make my bedroom feel like it’s own space.
Be a tourist in your own city
Columbus recently opened a National Veterans Museum and I have been wanting to see it so I invited my grandpa who is a Vietnam Veteran to go with me. Not only did this give me something fun to do and explore a new part of town, but it was a very special moment with my grandpa.
In addition to this, when I come home I make a food bucket list in my head of all of the places I want to eat that aren’t in South Carolina.
Here’s a few:
- Greaters
- Chocolate Cafe (their grilled cheeses are amazing)
- Bibbi Bop
- Canes
- First Watch
Now these are pretty much all fast food because I am on a budget but these are places that I crave when I’m at school.
Some other ways that you can be a tourist in your own city are to:
- go for a bike ride to the park
- try new photography techniques and have a photoshoot around town
- explore thrift shops and antique shops
- try a new restaurant
- go to the movies/bowling/museum
- Play in the snow! Have a snow fort contest
- this is really only in big cities, but if you have the opportunity to go axe throwing or top golf, GO!!! Both are so fun.
- go to the zoo (ours always has lights at Christmas!)
- Catch a concert!
Learn a new skill
Since I got home, I have had a lot of extra time that I don’t want to spend just watching tv because that leaves me feeling sluggish. I have been using my time to learn a couple new skills.
The first thing that I have spent the most time on is this blog. I have been working really hard to try to improve it, produce new content, and grow the audience. It is a lot of work and very time consuming but I am very passionate about it so the blog is a perfect thing to keep me busy.
Another skill I have been working on is my videography techniques. I am teaching myself how to use new features on my drone so that I can do all that it is capable of. The possibilities with the DJI Mavic Pro really are endless.
I am also re-teaching myself how to use my family’s old technology such as our GoPro and DJI OSMO stabilizer so that I can bring them on our family trip in a few weeks. I really want to diversify my shots in order to create an intriguing travel video which I can then share with you.
Some skills that you can teach yourself are:
- new language or sign language
- how to edit photos / photoshop
- baking or grilling new recipes
- learn to sew
- create a collage out of photos and magazines
- start a new workout routine or class
- start a blog
- guitar
- paint! I recently have loved doing this with my friends at school
Reach out to old friends
I was not particularly thrilled to come home for a month, because that is a long time without my friends from school who I have grown to love. It is especially hard when I feel I have grown apart from some of my high school friends and don’t have a “crew” to come home to.
I made a list of people that I enjoyed being around in high school whether it was from a school trip, chemistry class, or my tennis team as a way of reminding myself to reach out to them over break. I have gotten the chance to hang out with a few of them already and it has been so fun.
In case you are like me and need a reminder, you don’t have to have a “group” or a “squad”. So what if you don’t have 10 friends that all like to hang out? Having 10 different friends is more than enough, and seeing a new face is always fun.
Overall, winter break is really what you make of it. It is so easy to slip into a lazy lifestyle after having such a stressful semester, but you don’t want to feel like all you did was lay in bed by the time the month is over. With that said, you do deserve your rest so don’t over commit yourself. I hope this post inspired you to make the most of your break, and push yourself to try something new. Also, if you feel like you are having the winter break blues while away from college, you are not alone. Me too.
Sincerely, Meghan Ann
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