So I have this theory.
Throughout my first semester at college, I was so fortunate to have three breaks: fall break, Thanksgiving break, and winter break. All of these respites seemed to come at weirdly opportune times when I was especially in need of some time off. However, there seemed to be three different types of stresses associated with the time that each break rolled around.
Fall Break: Emotional Stress
By Fall Break in mid-October, I was emotionally exhausted. After about a month and a half of constantly meeting new people and trying to adjust to a new environment, I needed some time off at home to just be by myself for a while.
Thanksgiving Break: Physical Stress
The next month in November the Freshman Plague was in full swing and I, and everyone I knew, was coughing EVERYWHERE. The usually germy airport actually seemed like a relief compared to the dorms, and I was grateful for the chance to recover at home.
Winter Break: School Stress
As winter break is rapidly approaching, everyone is pretty overwhelmed with the stress of finals. We could all definitely use that month to just sit around and do nothing.
As much as I love my school, it definitely is nice to have some breaks for the first semester.