Staff Writer- Ethan LaLumiere
Winter break is coming up fast, and that means many Gusties will have a chance to go home, see family and friends, and maybe take a break from the hectic nature of December at Gustavus. However, it also means more snow, less sunlight, more sickness, and fewer chances to see Gustavus friends.
To cope with this, everyone uses their own strategy, but some are more key to keeping up mental health during a less exciting time.
“Try to go in with a positive mindset, make sure your expectations are realistic. It really does change how your experience might be with your family and friends at home, if you’re able to embrace the sleep, embrace doing things that you enjoy,” a Mental Health Therapist at the Counseling Center, Sarah Mages, said.
That positive mindset can be used for many different tasks and experiences, not just throughout winter break, but the entire year. Break can also be used as a time to reset and break any bad habits that might have arisen during the fall semester.
“When you go home for break, you can think about self-care for next semester, because you get to start the whole new semester. It’s like a clean slate,” Mages said. “You can kind of prioritize and think about good sleep routines and things to keep you well-balanced and mentally well.”
It can be harder to keep mental health in a good place over break, with less natural light outside, and less free access to resources such as the Counseling Center. This means that strategies such as exercise and eating well can become even more important.
“Because it’s dark, people tend to isolate themselves or stay inside. I think even though it’s over break, try to find time or things to do with friends or family, or even if it’s just getting up to walk around, just not going into hibernation when we have a big break. I think it’s easy to hunker down once your finals are done, just because it’s a stressful time,” Senior Peer Assistant Kendra Stanton said.
However, finals aren’t done quite yet, and they can be quite a stressful time for many students. This can come in the form of panic, a sense of being overwhelmed, and procrastination of assignments and studying.
“Letting these assignments stick around can make your anxiety a little bit worse. It’s super important to take breaks and section stuff up into smaller steps. Instead of writing a paper all at once, you can break it up into a few paragraphs a day,” Stanton said. “Using a reward system can also be good, so maybe once you finish an assignment, watch an episode from your favorite show. I think switching up your study environment is always good as well.”
The Peer Assistants also put on events near the end of the semester to help students with the problems that come along with finals. On Tuesday, Dec. 9th, they held a Destress Fest in the Heritage Room of Campus Center that included mug painting, zen garden bowls, creating aromatherapy, and a raffle for prizes. On Tuesday, Dec. 16th, they will hold the annual Midnight Express event from 8:30 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. in the Evelyn Young Dining Room.
“It’s a time for you to take a break. You can come hang out with friends, or other Gustavus students, and celebrate the end of the semester. It’s the last day of classes, we’ll have appetizers, and professors that have been asked by students are going to be there too, and other staff members as well. There is one professor coming that hasn’t been there at all, in his 17 years of being a professor here, so this is his first time,” Stanton said.
During a time when students are often hard at work, Midnight Express provides an opportunity to have fun, with music and food all night long.
“It’s a good time to come hang out with people, listen to some music, and get some good food. I tend to use it as a break in my day, sometimes I’ll try to get an assignment done or something towards a final paper,” Stanton said. “Then I’m thinking, I’m gonna go and do this and just be with my friends, take a break, and center myself. It really is just a good time to come hang out and do something fun before the finals come around.”
The Book Mark is also running some annual holiday deals, and even has a few new items for Gustavus students to get everyone in the holiday spirit.
“Starting this Saturday, we have either 20% or 30% off the entire store. We have holiday ornaments, we have pajama pants, and then we have a T-shirt as well for Christmas. The pajama pants have a lion on it, they’re flannel, and they’re black and yellow,” Senior and Book Mark Student Employee Samantha Szymanowski said. “Friday, Dec. 12th, is spin the wheel Friday. People can spin the wheel for customer appreciation, so they get 20 to 30% off.”