Welcome back, Blue Hens! I hope you all had a restful break and are at least somewhat recharged and ready to tackle the second half of the semester. Over the last week, while I was away soaking up sun poolside and enjoying the opportunity to sleep in, I did some thinking. Not about complicated theories or foreign languages or research methods; for once I did some thinking just about how I'm feeling and how I'm handling myself in life at the moment. The day I was leaving for break, I had an opportunity to do some mindfulness exercises to help re-center my mind going into the break, and it set the tone for a great week. I got to step away from my email, leave all my books in my dorm, and just be. And while I was away on my spring break, I realized how very important breaks are.

I do a lot on a day to day basis. I take a decent course load, am involved in a few clubs, and make time for friends as much as I can. So when that one busy day rolls into another into another, suddenly I'm stuck mid-semester, treading water and wondering when I'll get to hold on to the side of the pool for a second to catch my breath. And especially after doing winter session this year, the weeks leading up to spring break felt grueling. But finally, that long-awaited day came and I sang out rejoicing on my entire drive home to New York.

I'm pretty proud of myself for being able to step away from all of the stress and commitments that I have in Delaware, even if only for a few days. Fortunately, I love what I do so a few days was enough for me, and now I'm refreshed and ready to go back (although I still can't wait for summer). I could feel the huge mountain of stress and tasks disintegrate and melt away the more I let go and immersed myself in the moment during my trip. I focused on not much more than my playlist and my tan, and it helped push everything else to the back of my mind. Of course, as soon as I landed in JFK over the weekend, I turned on my phone and cringed at the mounting email messages reminding me of all the tasks I will too quickly have to accomplish upon my return to campus. But I was able to look at it all with a fresh perspective and feel optimistic rather than defeated.

I think it's crucial to take a break if you want things to be done well. Even if, like me, you love what you do (which I hope you do, eventually, because it's the best feeling on Earth), after a while it can start to drag you down if you don't take the time to step back and breathe. So the next time you feel overrun with stress, even if you can't take a week off for a much needed getaway, try to go out for a walk, look at the trees, listen to the world happening around you. Find something that you do to get away; that you do entirely for your own enjoyment. Go do that, re-center yourself, and then tackle your life with renewed energy and enthusiasm. And if it ever gets rough and you feel like you'll never make it through this patch of overwhelming stress, just remember your track record of making it through so far is 100 percent, and that's pretty damn good. Even the greatest things in life become greater after taking a little break. Just look at Ross and Rachel; they're each others' lobsters.