With Thanksgiving break fast approaching, college students look forward to festivities, family and food — and face the anxiety of looming final exams, projects and presentations. For many, this quick break is a time of gratitude and relaxation, but for others, it comes with its fair share of academic anxiety.
This period of time off offers students the much-needed opportunity to recharge mentally and physically directly before the inevitable stress of finals. The downtime away from a classroom setting is highly beneficial, increasing attention, decreasing stress, increasing productivity and boosting brain function.
Rest and “downtime replenishes the brain’s stores of attention and motivation, encourages productivity and creativity, and is essential to both achieve our highest levels of performance and simply form stable memories in everyday life,” according to Scientific American.
Several St. John’s students expressed feelings of gratitude for the break landing a few weeks prior to the end of the semester. The break “gives students a little mental break right before finals in the following weeks,” junior Carter Kizik said.“It’s a nice relaxation period before the work really amps up.”
Senior Rosanna Jiang conveyed similar feelings as Kizik.
“I actually like Thanksgiving break before finals because it makes time in the semester go faster and gives you a little break before your last bunch of work,” Rosanna said.
This level of workload may take away from the actual pleasure of the family-centered holiday, causing two outcomes: spending hours studying and stressing away from family or shirking academic responsibilities for much needed unwinding and recharging.
“Being home puts me in vacation mode,” said junior Katie McCarty. “I get distracted with seeing family and friends and that can make it hard to get back to school and study for finals.”
The allure of a several-day-long respite gives students a small taste of the month-long winter break that is just around the corner, ultimately resulting in a loss of motivation and an increase in procrastination during a peak time of academic stress.
“Thanksgiving break is just an extended weekend,” senior Ayah Cruzado said. “In the spring, we get several week-long breaks, but in the fall, Thanksgiving is really the only ‘break’ we have, even though I wouldn’t classify it as a break.”
“It’s more like a study hall since I feel like I’m rushing to catch up or get ahead on work instead of enjoying time with my family.”
From preparing for finals during the holidays or spending quality time with friends and family, St. John’s students make sure to spend the long weekend in the way that benefits them the most, especially with finals right around the corner.
