If you’re like me right now, you are dying to be back at school with all of your best friends. Winter break is LONGGGGG. After the Holidays it gets pretty boring and each day starts to feel the same. And last I checked no one asked for a case of the winter blues, uh woa is me. There is nothing that I would love more than to have floor time in one of my friend's rooms talking about how one of us saw our campus celeb on our way to class that morning. Being home for winter break can be hard, it can feel lonely and maybe even a little sad at times. It’s weird being back in your childhood bedroom or boring hometown. For many of us, we basically started a new life at school and it's an odd feeling when you come back home and almost feel transported back into your old life. Sometimes it can stir up old emotions or things you thought you had moved on from. And let's talk about how awkward it is running into someone from high school when you’re just trying to shop at Target… it's the worst. To sum it up, being home over break is weird, boring, and long, and it can bring a lot of different emotions. With all that being said, just know that it’s completely normal to feel all these things. Not everyone is lucky enough to have amazing hometown friends (just know that I’m so jealous of y’all who do!!!). Although Christmas break can feel never-ending and not very exciting, there are still so many wonderful things about it. I know it can be hard to see the positives but rest assured they’re still there regardless of how you may feel.
You probably entered Christmas break feeling exhausted, burnt out, fatigued, and all the possible adjectives that fall under the word tired. You were coming off a high from the best semester ever but are definitely feeling a little tired from all the fun you had. Maybe you’re feeling a little far from God because of some decisions you made or just simply neglected your relationship with him because your schedule was jam-packed (me rn). However you may be feeling, Jesus is right there with you. He felt every emotion possible and knows exactly how you’re feeling right now. He gets it. What’s amazing is that He’s never far from us, He loves you more than you can even imagine despite your busy schedule and some mistakes you may have made. God is right there waiting for you to turn your attention back on Him and give you the much-needed rest that you’re craving. On these long winter days instead of complaining and moping around all day while doom-scrolling on TikTok, you can turn your attention to the Lord and find the healing and rest you need.
Take a moment to stop and think about everything you have to be grateful for and how loved you are. Your parents are more than excited to have you home for six weeks and they can’t wait to spend this time with you. How amazing is it that you have such a happy home to come back to and parents that love you beyond words!? Whenever I start to feel a little grouchy because I miss my friends, or I get frustrated with my mom because I feel like she’s being overbearing, I stop and remind myself that it is so amazing to have friends to miss and a mom who loves me more than I can imagine. When you shift your perspective from complaining to gratitude it changes everything. Instead of being sad that you miss your friends and the life that you’re building, stop and think about how grateful you are to have those friends that you prayed for and the opportunity to go and do all the amazing things that God planned for you.
Take all this time that you have to intentionally work on the relationship you have with yourself and those around you. Let me put something in perspective for you: This really is your last four years of Christmas breaks, once you graduate you’ll have a full-time job where you don't get six weeks to do whatever you want. So, don’t waste all this time that you have by doing nothing. Take this time to really pour into those relationships with your family members and spend time with them. Soak up those family dinners, bring your parent's lunch while they’re at work, and do something with your younger sibling that they enjoy. Be intentional about spending time with your family, I promise it will make both you and them have such a deeper appreciation for each other. You also have a lot of time that you can spend with yourself. I know that might sound a little scary but knowing and loving yourself is so important.
Working on yourself may include but is not limited to: doing things that you love, taking the time to learn a new hobby, doing a workout that you enjoy, getting good sleep and sticking to a sleep schedule, journaling, reorganizing your priorities for this year or upcoming semester, maybe starting therapy/counseling if you want, doing a hair mask and having a spa night, making a prayer or goal board for this year, etc.
This will look different for each person but it's so important to spend time with yourself and that way you can love the person that God made you to be and walk confidently in that. The key to having that confidence is spending time getting to know the Lord. To understand the creation it’s vital that you understand the creator. Take all this time that you have and spend it reading your Bible or listing to an podcast while going on a walk (Girls Gone Bible is my go to) and grow your friendship with him.
Don’t take this Christmas break for granted. I know that’s something much easier said than done and I am actively trying to work on it as well. But you don’t want to get to the end of break and think to yourself “What the heck did I even do that whole time?!” So don’t let this time go to waste. I know it can be long and feel lonely but you’ll be back at school before you know it and chances are halfway through the semester you’ll be wishing for time like you have right now to relax. Spend this break building relationships with your family members, yourself, and most importantly, the Lord. Think about all the things you have to be grateful for. When you’re back in your childhood room, think about how far you have come from that being that teenage girl with big dreams (isn’t it so awesome that you’re currently living out some of those dreams?!). God is working in you and has so many things planned for you. Take a minute to think about all that He has already done for you and how much you’ve grown since going to school. Christmas break can be really long and boring, or it can be a time of tremendous growth. It’s up to you to choose what break you want to have. So like I said don’t take this for granted, take it and use it to glorify the Lord and let him work in you and prepare you to have THE BEST SPRING SEMESTER EVER WOOHOO!!!!!!