Spring Break: Stress Free or Full of Pressure?
When thinking of the ultimate college spring break, three things immediately come to mind: a week full of sunny weather, partying, and no schoolwork. However, while a trip to Cancun may sound incredible, it is not always the easiest thing to pull off. The pressure to make spring break unforgettable can end up causing more stress than not—even though the entire purpose is to take a genuine break.
The ideal spring break is whatever is most relaxing.
Whether that comes in the form of going to the beach with friends, heading home to spend time with family, or staying on campus simply to get some alone time—stepping away from the weekly essays, tests, and projects for a little while is vital for a healthy mind.
Bryana Riordan, a current freshman, spoke about how she came to make her spring break plans.
“I have been feeling really homesick lately, and I felt the pressure to go home because that’s what most freshmen do during their first year of college—they go home for their breaks,” Riordan said. “Then, I got invited to go to Palm Beach, Florida with the six other girls that I’m planning to live with next year and this really solidified my decision to live with them next year. So, I took a quick trip home the weekend before, and I couldn’t be more excited to go to the beach!”
A current sophomore, Ashley Joyce, had a slightly different experience when planning what she was going to do. Having had a form of spring break (altered due to COVID-19 policies) already, the pressure to go somewhere fun was a little bit higher.
“Seeing different friend groups post all of the cool places that they have gone to for different breaks seems awesome and I definitely would have wanted to do something like that, but I’ve been super busy with schoolwork lately and planning things with people who had different ideas of what they wanted to do over spring break made it hard to make a trip happen,” said Joyce. “So, I decided to get some much needed R & R here for the first part of the break, and then I’m going to head home for the last few days to visit my family that I haven’t seen since January.”
The pressure to do something fun doesn’t stop with age. A current junior, Jenna Garbarino, mentioned how she wanted to go somewhere because she felt like it’s what everyone does.
“I really wanted to go somewhere warm, partially because I wanted to escape some of the cold weather from the winter but also because I felt like that’s what I’m supposed to do,” Garbarino said. “But, I’m going to Panama City, Florida with my best friends so I’m definitely excited.”
However, for senior Janae Carpenter, going to the beach for spring break was something that she has been looking forward to since the end of her freshman year.
“I haven’t really done the traditional spring break because my freshman year I went home, my sophomore year was when we all got sent home for COVID-19, and then last year we only had a few days that were spread out,” said Carpenter. “So, I’m so excited to do a little girls trip to Miami, Florida and Marco Island, Florida with my best friend! We’ve been looking forward to relaxing with each other at the beach for a while.”
Spring break looks different for everyone, every year, but ultimately it is about taking some time off. No matter where that is.
Enjoy your spring break!