Spring Break is almost underway. This is a time where school work and college life can get pushed to the wayside, giving students the freedom to spend their  time as they please.

However, with this break comes great responsibility.

Spring Break, along with all university-sanctioned breaks, is an opportune time to take a break from the fast paced college life and turn attention to things put to the side.   

There is catching up on sleep, binge-watching a Netflix series, hanging out with friends back at home, eating mom’s homemade cooking and other hobbies.

Is this the best way to spend break, however?

While taking care of yourself and relaxing is necessary, breaks contain more time than what is necessary to self-maintain.

There are a total of 168 hours in the seven days of spring break (not including the two days for those who need most of a day to travel to and from Waynesburg University). That’s a lot of time that could be used for endless possiblitlties.

Some people might want to fill that time with mindless television and video games. Others might want to spend their time hanging out with friends from back home.

But what if those hours were used differently?

While goofing off is great, these breaks can be used for more beneficial things also pushed to the wayside. Updating your resume, looking up job opportunities, reading about a new skill or tip or working a few days at the part time job for cash are just a few things. Even visiting your grandmother who is always asking about you too much to the point of annoyance would be productive time used.

There are so many ways to improve yourself and invest in others within those 168 hours. Students, however, sometimes waste away those hours because the new season of “Stranger Things” just released, or your high school friends want to hang out 25 times that week. Learning should be a lifelong goal. Students, however, are in a time of their lives where most of their time is dedicated to developing themsleves for their future careers. Now is the time to learn as much as possible , and Spring Break provides an oppurtunity to explore topics that have been neglacted while at college.

While productivity is important, for those who have been hardcore grinding for the past two months, perhaps a week of relaxation is exactly what you need. Don’t be afraid to listen to your body and mind and do what you need to stay sane and recharge for the final half of the semester.

It’s not often that busy college students get an entire week to focus on themselves. Just keep in mind not all that time should be used towards pleasurable things. Everything, from binge watching to learning a new language, must be enjoyed in moderation, our else it becomes unhealthy or stressful.

With that said, The Yellow Jacket would like to wish everyone a healthy and happy break.