Going on vacation? Going home? Scared of feeling bored/lonely/unproductive over break? Here are couple suggestions that might help keep you feeling refreshed and (somewhat) accomplished over vacation.

1. Meet up with friends you haven’t seen in awhile

Reconnect with high school roots (if you so desire) by making plans with your friends back at home. It doesn’t need to be some extravagant trip to Jamaica or anything like that, but just getting together and catching up with good friends can do wonders for your happiness.

2. Apply for summer jobs

May and June may seem far away into the future right now, but really all we have is six more weeks after break until we are free for the summer. It’s good to start planning ahead (if you have the time), especially when looking for things to add to a resume and/or making some extra cash. Having a summer job often leads people to have incredible and meaningful experiences that they can carry with them for the rest of their lives.

3. Spend quality time with family

In college, it’s easy to neglect our families because of the simple fact we don’t live at home anymore, and thus it’s tempting to push them on the back burner while we’re busy running around at school. However, now that you’re back home (or wherever you may be) you have more time to invest in your parents and other family members. Take advantage of that. Family is so important. It's a support system that you will always have. Let’s not forget that.

4. Do something you enjoy that you don’t have time for in college

There are many different passions that you have, and some of them may have had to be given up during your time in college due to time constraints and/or lack of opportunities in the college environment. This is your chance to engage in those things that used to bring you so much joy before college. It’s also never too late to pick up a new hobby. This break could also be the perfect opportunity to do something crazy, and let yourself go (not too much obviously, but we all deserve to let off some steam after a busy first half of the semester).

5. Get ahead on some school work, if you have any

This is recommended only if you are dying of boredom and/or have a serious case of cabin fever. But it is for sure a nice feeling to lift some of the stress from your workload once you’re back on campus and help ease yourself back into your hectic college schedule. Think of it this way: it’s a lot easier to jump into a lukewarm bath than it is to jump into a pool of ice cold water. Doing nothing academically for a full eight or nine days right after a scary busy midterm week is definitely a well deserved reward, but it could lead to future procrastination if you’re feeling overwhelmed after a break of doing no school work at all.