Long breaks are always nice.  You get time off to rest, catch up with friends and family, and do fun activities.  While these things sound great and appealing, Christmas break can also bring some stress for certain students.  Planning and attending holiday parties, alone, can be hard to deal with.  Then, once the break is over, students have to endure a different kind of stress and panic.  They have to start getting back into their school routine after being gone for a while.  

One way students might deal with this stress is by getting re-organized.  For some people, preparing to go back to school might include cleaning and straightening up, doing leftover homework, or seeing people one last time before they get busy again.  Another way students might get organized to go back to school is by filling out a planner.  This helps them know what events and assignments are coming up.  It also allows them to look ahead.  

Senior Libby Kreikemeier has taken four years to learn organizational skills.

“I like to add all of the important dates on the St. Joe calendar and my own events to my planner just so I can be organized and plan ahead,” she stated.  

Another way students might minimize anxieties about going back to school is by getting extra sleep.  

“The thought of waking up early after getting used to sleeping in over break is always daunting,” sophomore Claire Schwent said.  

Getting up early to go to school is not as difficult when you’re well-rested. 

It is important to deal with this stress in a healthy way that works well for you.  In the end, school is not all that bad, it is just the thought of it after a long break might be stressful.