17 Jan 2018

There’s nothing sweeter than the sound of that final school bell of the year, when classes are officially out to be replaced by six weeks of summer holiday bliss. That’s why it’s strange that come January, some of us are absolutely itching to be back. And in attempts to avoid chants of ‘what the f*ck is wrong with you’ from our friends, we don’t tell them this. It’s not like we actually like school or anything, we just think that maaaybe the holidays go on for a little bit too long.

1. I need some routine and responsibility

Obviously, time off from school is necessary, especially as an opportunity to recover from the rigidity of school. It gives us much needed time in an unstructured environment to learn by our own means, be creative, and most importantly, relax and have fun. But, it’s also known that people thrive in an environment of routine and responsibility. Most of us don’t get any of this during the holidays, and that’s when it starts to drag.

Routine gives us security, and responsibility helps us feel like we’re valued, and this becomes especially important when we’re maturing and reaching adulthood. We want our actions to start meaning something–to have some real bearing on our lives. Simply put, we start ascribing some value to our time, and we don’t want to throw it away any more.

2. My brain no longer functions properly

Throughout school, we can start to associate the beginning of the academic year not only with the loss of free time, but with the panic of classes being more difficult than they were before. Math formulas are forgotten, as are history dates and legal studies cases. And it makes sense, too–your summer brain is just not being stimulated, and it can affect your learning and performance.

It’s fine to be frustrated by this; every year you put in effort putting things into your brain, so it sucks they fall out every summer. It’s okay to feel a little dumb in this period, and want to get back in a classroom where your brain actually works.

3. I’m f*cking bored

At the beginning of summer, your days feel like blank canvases for any number of fun activities. By the end of it you’re struggling to find ways to fill them that don’t include refreshing your Instagram feed every hour. Sure, when your parents are loaded and taking you to f*cking Paris every year, time flies right on by, but for the rest of us it can be hard to access engaging activities that sustain our attention for a full six weeks.

We’re often left to our own devices–and sometimes those devices have shitty battery life. At least at school we’re surrounded by friends and sport and classes, and even if we think we hate it at the end of the day, it gives us something to do.

All I’m saying is that it’s okay to feel some holiday burnout, and to crave some of that security and structure that school can provide. Talk to your friends about it, because they might feel the same way. Know that it’s normal, and try to use your holidays productively to stave it off–when school is back in though, use that feeling to really enjoy the fact that you’re back.