When there’s a break coming up, do you say to yourself, “I am gonna get all caught up on my grades!” And do you ever really do everything you were planning on doing? The answer is usually no. You sat around and hung out with friends and family who came into town that you haven’t seen in a while and you spent time with them.

But that isn’t a bad thing at all. Taking care of yourself and taking time to relax and not burn yourself out, but just because you didn’t spend your break cleaning your house or doing all your homework doesn’t mean you are not productive. Being productive is up to the person to decide.

Lee Messersmith, a registered therapist, said “Look at a car and when you drive it all day, everyday, everywhere and you don’t do anything to take care of it, what happens? It breaks down and it breaks down quickly. So you need to take it to the car wash, change the oil, and get new wiper blades. You need to give it a break and not drive it for such long periods of time.” This is just like taking care of yourself. Messersmith adds, “You need to take a shower, take a bath, take an extra one you need to breathe, you need to take 5 minutes and force yourself to be ok with that cause if you don’t, you aren’t going to perform. You need to eat well, and sleep well– and perfection doesn’t exist.”

Additionally, Messersmith continues, people with anxiety are worried that they are not being productive even when they are. This is an example of when they set unreal expectations of themselves. You need to realize that life will throw unexpected things your way including your parents making you go to family events, chores, girlfriends/boyfriends, and just unexpected events that come up.

And if you are just sitting around playing the new Fortnite season binging your favorite show or just watching Tik Tok on your phone. Yes these are not the healthiest options to spend your break but if they make you happy and help you unwind then do it. It’s a break for a reason. It takes time to make yourself happy.

So don’t be so hard on yourself and realize that life will always throw things at you that you were not prepared for and that being productive is something that is up to you to decide. So take some time to take care of yourself and as long as you try that’s all that matters.