It's that time of year. It's cold outside, the holiday decor is slowly fading, and our three weeks of sleeping and relaxing are over.  

Often times it can be quite challenging for us to recoup and establish our temporarily disregarded values and aspirations in lieu of the common break we know and love. It's comforting, it's familiar to us, some would argue it is necessary for their sanity. Georgia Tech takes quite a toll on all of us, whether we're full time students, or co-oping or interning, this institution faces us with new challenges each and every semester. We ought to deserve a break, right?

As much as I love the relaxing and lounging, there comes a time where I become very restless, even eager to return to my daily routine and to see all my friends again. Sometimes this feeling comes on early in the break, and I find myself counting the days until school starts again. As much as this seems counter intuitive, I can't help but thinking I'm not alone. I love seeing old friends, and I love relaxing and being carefree, but it becomes hard to sit comfortably in this state for too long.  

In order to combat this "boredom" there are a few things that I love doing. Working out, seeing old friends, spending quality time with family, and enjoying the things I don't have time for while I'm in the full swing of things. These activities are vital and important to me, even more so than school, grades and my main material concerns. It's important to stop and realize this every once in awhile, and to think about how we can reconnect with what's really the most important in our lives. That way, we can start to see breaks as an opportunity for more than just resting and relaxing.

For those of you who can't get enough of breaks, enjoy them as you do. Sometimes I wish I could think like you. But to those of you who agree with me, always remember you aren't alone. I love breaks, don't get me wrong, but it always feels good to be productive one way or another.