Let’s face it, by spring break we’re all more than ready for a break from our daily lives. We’ve endured three-fourths of a school year, and on top of that, most of us have dealt with stress from work, friendships or relationships, and the bland-routinization of all of our daily responsibilities. We all deserve to be somewhere warm, on a beach, in a state completely devoid of worries for an entire week. However, for usually a good reason or two, some of us don’t get that luxury, or at least not this year. And I know that I, for one, was excited to have nothing to do, but also fully aware that spending a week at home, on my couch with my cat, was probably going to be disappointing and underwhelming. Then my teachers very kindly ruined the positive note of having nothing to do by assigning me homework over break. So much for at least being stress-free, right?

Well, at the end of my week, I realized that I actually did feel better. Somehow, subconsciously, I had achieved my goal of feeling emotionally and mentally prepared to finish my semester. I didn’t do anything special, which caused me to realize how important small actions can be to change your entire perspective.

So, if you’re having a staycation like I did, make sure to do these activities, in this order (for best results).

Get your work done and out of the way

Spend the first weekend or first few days of the week getting your homework and other important things done so that you don’t have them hanging over your head the entire week. And if you still feel stressed after that, let yourself reach the boiling point and bubble over. The longer you wait to release your negative, overwhelmed emotions, the worse you’ll feel (and the less you’ll enjoy your break).

I finished my homework and few other responsibilities, and then I continued to stress over things I felt I “should” do because I had this week where I finally had some time to do them. My breakdown involved tearfully listing all of the things I “needed” to do to my mother who basically told me to calm down. She reminded me that I was on spring break, so I needed to take a break, especially if none of those things were really time sensitive or required.

Spend a couple days watching Netflix guilt-free, but make sure to leave the house at least once a day.

That’s a rule my roommates and I came up with; we’ve found that staying in all day makes it way more likely that you’ll have a bad day. I found that even on spring break, when you’ve resigned to sitting in sweats for days in a row, you still need a change of setting for at least an hour or so to fight the boredom. Because with boredom comes things like over thinking and anxiety. You don’t need extra time to stress when you’re supposed to be de-stressing.

I learned this the hard way by breaking that rule Monday and Tuesday and literally spending all of my time on my couch with my cat. It was really nice for a few hours each day, but I ended both days feeling blah. I eventually saved myself by spending all day out of the house Wednesday which was a bit of a drastic change at that point. Therefore, I’m suggesting that you stay flexible while on your spring break staycation, rather than getting too comfy on your couch.

Spend some quality time with loved ones.

Following up my last point, realize you don’t need more than two entire days to binge-watch Netflix by yourself, and devote some days to family time. Visit your grandparents.Support your siblings at a sports game or school event. Go to the movies with friends.

It was fortunate that my grandpa’s birthday was during my break, and my grandma had organized a family dinner. I got to see them, along with my aunt, uncle, and cousin for the first time in a month or two. It was great to soak in the family reminiscing while enjoying my grandma’s cooking. Then, on the Wednesday that I already mentioned, I got to be a supportive big sister and watch my brother, a sophomore in high school, run in his first track meet of the season. On Thursday, I went to the movies with my boyfriend and his sister. All of these are normal events I got to do a lot more often before attending college out of state, so it was important to me to take advantage of my opportunity to create more of these memories with them while I was there.

That’s about it. You just need to focus on yourself first, and then relax and be up for doing things with your family, friends, or significant other. I know it sounds ridiculously simple, but that’s kind of the point of spring break; we all look forward to the break in our routines, an escape from the stress we’ve accumulated. Let it go. As corny as it sounds, just be. Because the older you get, the less time you have where there isn’t an item you’re supposed to be checking off your to-do list at every hour of the day.

Like I said, I didn’t go into my spring break knowing this was the best plan to help me feel grounded and calm again, nor did I follow it exactly. I thought I was going to be bored or stuck doing things I didn’t want to do. If I could redo last week, I would’ve allowed my stress to boil over way sooner than I did so that I could realize I needed to be more open to going with the flow. Yes, there were responsibilities I needed to handle, and yes, I needed me time, but I also really needed to get out of my own head. Even if my adventures weren’t as exciting as being on a beach, my spring break staycation turned out to be exactly what I needed.

So, whether your spring break for this semester is still around the corner, or your next spring break might be spent at home, remember to take advantage of all the small moments of quality time. Appreciate the little things, and more importantly, allow them to help you relax.