With spring break already coming to an end for students in the CBE and some other schools in Calgary having breaks ending in just a week, I’m sure that we’ve all experienced that post-break crash. We’ve settled into a very lax mindset, an altered sleep cycle (if you’re anything like me, that includes sleeping in until 10 AM), and we’ve gotten used to a lack of stress. Then, the night before the break ends, we begin to panic.

Assignments are due, tests are the next morning, and our lives feel like they are falling apart. Pens are scribbling, neurons are pumping, and printers are whirring away to finish those assignments on time. The fact that I begin to procrastinate and lose productivity during every longer break I have from school, and I perpetually need to cram everything into the night before I return, has become somewhat of a hazing ritual at this point.

Sometimes the work can just be too much.

Even more stressful is trying to immediately get back into the routine that you adapted to during the school year, but let go of during the break. It’s really tough, especially on those first few days back, to do things like wake up early, snap out of your grogginess and actually pay attention in morning classes, and so on and so forth. I began to wonder, are there better ways to adapt to these “post-break crashes,” as I call them? Here’s a bit of what I came up with.

1. Never ever let your sleep schedule get out of hand

Yes, I know. There are Netflix series that need to be watched, friends that need to be Snapchatted, and time with family that needs to be spent. But never, ever, let any of these activities cut into your sleep schedule. Your body is used to preserving its usual sleep schedule, and for good reason.

While it may be tempting to stay up until 2 AM binge-watching “A Series of Unfortunate Events” and wake up the next morning around noon(ahem, not what I did at all), it has really detrimental effects on your sleep cycle and your body in general. If your sleep cycle is preserved when you head back to school, everything, ranging from attentiveness to mood, will be vastly improved.

2. Plan your entire break

Always set up a plan for everything that you have to finish at the beginning of the break. It’s extremely helpful to know exactly what needs to be done, by when, and it also protects you from the world of procrastination by setting deadlines. See this video below for some more insight on handling procrastination!

This also helps you become more organized in general and ready for the transition back into the faster paced life of school!

3. If all else fails and you are feeling stressed, talk about it.

If you’ve come to the end of the break and you find yourself stressed about going back to school, there is still one solution. Talk about it. You can talk to your friends, family, or even your teachers. More than often, they will lend a helping hand and understand your situation. Everyone has been in your situation before, so you are not alone! A sympathetic soul can help you out. This can help you relieve a tremendous amount of stress, and alleviate the strain on yourself as you try to get back on track.

I hope that you found these tips helpful! Keep in mind that these don’t just apply to spring break, but for all long breaks from schools that we have. Always remember these three tips, and you’ll never experience a “post-break crash” again!

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