Don’t you just love getting in the cycle of being able to rot away in bed and not worry about school or academic problems because you are on break. I do too. But I feel like I have run into a problem that many others have run into. It’s really hard to escape that cycle when the time comes.
The first semester here at MSA has really been a doozy. It really felt like a whole school year already. So, when the time for Christmas break came around, I just stopped thinking about school entirely. I was so relieved to be gone I didn’t think about the fact that I would have to go back soon. I rotted away in bed, got the sleep I was looking for, relaxed. I did all the things I would do if it were summer. Because it felt like the year had ended.
The break was much needed for me, but I feel like it was too much. Especially combined with the snow break. Taking so much time away from school really through me off and made me lose all of my motivation. Writing was extremely difficult, and I couldn’t even bring myself to lift my computer. I began to get really behind in some classes, and I started to get even more stressed.
At first, I thought I was just being lazy, and it was only a me thing. But later I found out that other people were having this problem. Others also felt like they were leaving and not coming back for a while and coming back so soon threw them off too. I think the reason for this is because a full summer is enough to reset your brain and give you enough time to get ready for the next year. So, when you don’t think you’re coming back or it doesn’t feel like it, going back so soon doesn’t give you the time to reset and be prepared. I think we all had that in between of not enough time and too much. Leaning more toward too much.
I feel as if I am just now getting back into the swing of things after a month of this semester already being up. I’ve never felt this way before and I wonder if there are things I can do to prevent this from happening in the future. And I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I don’t really want another break. I feel like the weekends are enough for me right now.
I’m not sure if any of you relate or if this even made sense, but I hope some of you may relate and if you have any tips on how to prevent this, please share.
i can 1000% relate to this. as someone with chronic fatigue, i constantly find myself overworking and then feeling mentally and physically exhausted for the rest of the day, if not week or month. burn out happens crazy easy for people who practice creative arts and burn out has hit me quiet a few times over the years in a way that has not only affected my writing, but affected me as a person. when im not being productive, my brain tells me im not doing anything worthwhile, which means im wasting time, which means im a bad person. its a really easy depressive spiral to fall into. only over the past few months or so have i been able to fully acknowledge the need for rest days (mental and physical ones) and allow myself a break every once and a while. self love is taught but allowing yourself those breaks in between periods of hard work will help your brain become more sympathetic to the days where all you wanna do is rot in bed.
I’m so glad I wasn’t the only one struggling since coming back from Christmas break. These past few weeks have been SO stressful and everyone seems to be worked up. I think we should make a literary support group at this point lol
This post is honestly so relatable, and I completely agree with the fact that the break messed up a lot of people’s mental timeline.
This is so real. Being out of school for a few weeks and then going back was absolutely horrible.