Keeping Motivated After Spring Break

Spring breaks are meant to give us a mini power boost to pull us through the rest of the semester. Oddly enough, we come back feeling as though we’ve been hit by a train, and the amount of schoolwork we have after the short week seems like a ten-mile-high stack glaring down at us.

Coming back to the currently bitter wind tunnel we call State College when all we want is to wear our cute floral dresses is a total letdown. It’s supposed to be spring, right?!

So how are we supposed to feel motivated after a short week off? Surprisingly, there are many things to do to get back to feeling one hundred percent!

Get Active: Now is the perfect time to be thinking about your fitness goals. Whether you’re looking to lose some pounds or just tone up, going to the gym is a sure way to get you back on track. Becca Rickard, a sophomore, believes the gym gives her the will to push through the second half of the semester. “I always feel really focused when I study after going to the gym,” says Rickard, “for me, the gym is a huge stress reliever and it keeps me motivated enough to study after spring break.”

Eat Fresh: It’s no shock to any of us that eating fresh foods can make us feel refreshed! When spring rolls around, there’s no need to be indulging in heavy foods—we shouldn’t feel weighed down. Snacking on fruits and veggies can not only give us a natural, and more long-lasting, energy boost throughout the day, but also can be eaten in much bigger portions than if we were snacking on chips or other processed snacks.

Get Involved: The spring holds a lot of promise for fun activities around campus. If you’re already in a club, now is a good time to strive to be more active. There are plenty of opportunities in each org to be able to organize events to keep you and your group occupied. If you’re not in an org, there are still plenty of ways to get involved on campus. Try volunteering—there are a variety of activities on the volunteer.psu.edu webpage—or simply attend some of the more popular events on campus like Relay for Life or Homecoming events at the HUB!

Work Your Butt Off: The few weeks after Spring break is the time to realize that we’re over halfway done with the semester and most of us still have some quickly approaching academic hurdles like research papers or huge exams. The idea of killing our GPA should motivate us enough to start making dates with the library. Kira Strande, a sophomore, is having this realization. “I’m realizing the time crunch there is until finals!” Strande says. We need to get our heads back in the game and remind ourselves what we’re here for!

Indulge in a Hobby: Everyone has a talent or an interest that maybe they’re not feeding into at school. Starting fresh after spring break can also entail doing something new that you love. Do you like art? You can take art classes on campus and off-campus. What about theater? You could join Thespians or No Refund Theatre. If you have a thing for martial arts, there are a few gyms off campus that have cheap classes. In a town like State College, almost every activity is present on or off campus. You just have to do some research.

Take a Walk: It’s so simple, but it’s a great activity for clearing your head and relieving some stress. Taking a walk also allows you to explore some new parts of downtown or uptown State College. Did you know there was a park on Fraser Street? What about a great Thai restaurant on Allen Street? It’s your town—go find some interesting things.

You don’t have to be trapped in a post-spring break slump. There are so many options in State College that, if you research, you can never be bored. Do what works best for you, but you’re sure to have plenty of opportunities to feel more refreshed and jump into spring.

Photo by Coco Chen