Student Life

5 things to do during Winter Break

5 things to do during winter break
Final exams are finally over! Have you made a plan for your winter break? Winter break can be a great time to recharge and destress, to reflect on the past year, and to improve yourself. 

There are so many things you can do. You can go out with friends, develop good habits, work on passion projects, or just rest at home. Whatever you decide to do, this article will hopefully give you some suggestions on what you can do to make your winter break meaningful.
1. Rest
The biggest purpose of winter break is to rest. It is the time to switch your focus away from school. By taking a break, you are essentially relaxing your mind from the tense situation you were in (i.e. school). 

A stress-free, fully charged brain will certainly help you start off strong next semester.

There are many different ways to take breaks. Most of the time, it depends on what kind of person you are. For example:
If you are an outdoor enthusiast, you can recharge by going out for hiking, camping, or skiing.
If you are a homebody, you can rest by working on hobbies such as reading, writing, or drawing at home, or hanging out with friends at home and playing games and watching tv together.
If you are an extrovert, you will enjoy the companionship of others. Meeting up and hanging out with friends or family members is a great way to take a break.
If you are an introvert, you can do what you enjoy alone. Introverts tend to recharge their energies best when they are alone. You can go for a walk in the woods alone, exercise, or go to a movie by yourself.
2. Travel
Traveling is certainly the most popular way people spend their winter breaks. It is a great way to rest and to create meaningful memories. Although the pandemic has largely restricted people’s movement, there are still many ways you can travel during this winter break.

When you plan your trip, first consider the scale. Are you looking to travel locally, domestically, or internationally (will be difficult due to both COVID and time constraint)? 

Are there attractions or points of interest near you that you always wanted to go to? Or, you can think of traveling to different parts of the country and even the world (if circumstances allow).

Next, consider the logistics by asking yourself questions that will help you sort out the details of your trip. Such as:
Who will be going on a trip with you?
Where exactly do you plan to go?
When will you go?
What will you do there?
How are you going to get around?
If planning isn’t what you are interested in, consider going on a spontaneous trip. For example, you can spend a day going from your house to the farthest station in your city’s transit system, taking a cheap flight to a random destination, or going on a road trip. There are many ways you can make this experience exciting.
3. Reflect
Winter break usually marks the end of the year. You can spend some time reflecting on the past year. This can help you set goals for the next year to improve yourself and further clarify what you want to achieve. Having clarity will help you stay motivated and disciplined.
You can start by reflecting on the past year. Ask yourself questions like:
What happened this year that was positive or something you are grateful for?
What happened this year that was negative? Why was it negative? And what can you do to make the situation better?
If this sounds too general, you can definitely break the questions down into different aspects of your life. For example, it could be academics, career, relationships, family, personal care, health, etc.

If you set goals for yourself this past year, you can also reflect on your progress. Regardless of whether you achieved your goals or not, you should think about what you have gained and what you have done to work towards the goals. This will help you clear your mind about what you want to achieve and where you are on that journey.

Next, set goals for the next year. Set goals that are focused on improvement and growth in every aspect of your life. 

Are there new skills you want to develop? 

Are you looking to advance your career by landing an internship at your dream company? 

Think about the reflections you made for this past year and think about what you want to achieve. SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, time) is a good template to help set your goals.

  
4. Learn
This is not about studying for the upcoming semester. Rather, it is more to improve your skills for your career or for something you are passionate about.

For example, let’s say you have been eating fast food and ordering take outs during the school year, but now you want to eat healthy. You can use this time to learn how to cook healthy food. Another fun example could be if you are passionate about making scented candles but don’t know how you can sell or promote it, you can take time to learn how to set up an ecommerce store and learn how to promote your product on social media.

In order to begin learning, you first need to decide what you want to learn. There are two things in general: 1) something you are passionate about 2) something that is either useful to you or to others you want to care for.

Then, you will need to decide how you want to learn. Nowadays, there are so many resources, especially online. There are so many tutorials that can be found just by searching on Google or YouTube. 

Furthermore, there are so many online courses you can take from platforms such as edx, Udemy, Skillshare, LinkedIn Learning, and Coursera. Choose a course or resources that will provide you with knowledge you want to learn.
5. Exercise
Last but not least, exercise! I’m sure that most people have not done much exercise during the semester. Your body is the base for everything you do. If you don’t take care of your body, then it will certainly affect every other aspect of your life negatively.

Go to the gym. Find a friend to go with you and train together. Or, you can get a personal trainer to help you achieve your fitness goals. If you don’t want to go to the gym, you can definitely work out from home. There are many apps out there that provide you with exercise routines so that you can work out purposefully.

More importantly, staying active frequently will energize your body, making you more productive and motivated to work towards your goals. Avoid sitting on your chair and lying down on your bed for a long period of time. Stretch your body periodically to loosen your muscles and maintain a proper posture. Another example would be to go out for walks or runs in the morning to start your day.

For more ideas of how to stay safe, healthy and sane over the holidays:

The Best Mental Health Apps for College Students
How to Eat Healthy as a UBC Student
5 Tips to Maintaining a Healthy Diet in University
Tips on Staying Positive during the Winter Semester