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5 winter break survival tips

girl outside in the snow with lights

Winter break is a great time to reset and recharge. However, transitioning back home, spending time away from friends and being around family for an extended period of time can also have its challenges. 

Here are five tips you can use to survive and thrive over winter break. 


1. Talk through expectations ahead of time

If you鈥檙e headed home over break, make time to discuss expectations with your family.

For instance, you may be expected to follow a curfew, help around the house, attend certain events or take on other responsibilities during your stay. Having a conversation before you arrive home can help you avoid being caught off guard. 

This is also a good opportunity to talk through your own expectations and boundaries. Let your family know what your plans are, including how long you plan to stay and how much one-on-one time you expect to spend together. If your expectations don鈥檛 meet what your family wants, work together to find a compromise that works best for everyone. 


2. Get into a routine

Transitioning home can throw us off our normal routine, which may make the transition a little more jarring. Set yourself up for success over break by creating a routine for yourself at home.

Here are a few ways to get started:

  • Set a consistent sleep schedule 
    Yeah, we know, you鈥檝e heard it before. However, getting seven to nine hours of sleep each night can help improve your mental and physical health as well as your immunity and stress levels. Over break, try to be consistent about when you wake up and when you go to bed. Your sleep schedule doesn鈥檛 have to be rigid, but you should try to stay within a two-hour window.  If you find that you鈥檙e over- or under-sleeping, check out these tips for better sleep.  
  • Look and plan ahead  
    Your break may be jam-packed with back-to-back events and obligations, or you may find yourself with idle time on your hands. Regardless of what your schedule looks like, try to plan out your days and activities in advance if possible. For instance, you may want to carve out chunks of time to spend quality time with your friends or family, go holiday shopping, relax or have some alone time. Planning in advance can help you make time for what鈥檚 most important to you and prioritize how you spend your energy over break. 
  • Focus on smaller habits  
    Don鈥檛 stress yourself out over making the perfect routine or schedule. Instead, focus on smaller habits that you can consistently do each day. For instance, you may decide to go for a short walk in the evenings with your family, read for 30 minutes at night or text a different friend or family member each day to see how they鈥檙e doing. Committing to these small acts can give your days a greater sense of structure and purpose.  

3. Navigate tough conversations

Being at home may mean that we find ourselves having difficult conversations with our family or friends, whether it鈥檚 related to school, politics or other issues. The key is to show up for these conversations in a healthy way.  

Here are some tips to keep in mind: 

Give your family members a heads up that you want to have an important discussion. Sometimes, when people are caught off guard, it can make it harder to have productive conversations. That鈥檚 why it is usually helpful to give them a heads up and context for what you want to talk to them about before diving in. For instance, maybe you need to talk about your grades, a major change, mental health concerns or a change in career path.  

Allow them time to collect their thoughts. Preparing for difficult conversations in advance can help you avoid mincing words, stay on topic and communicate in a more effective way. Let your family know that you鈥檇 like to give them time to collect their thoughts before you jump right in. Invite them to the conversation by setting a time and place to chat in advance. 

Speak from your own experience. When sharing your perspective with your family, it is usually best to speak from your own experience. One way to do this is to use 鈥業鈥 statements. For instance, you may say something like, 鈥淚 would like to reduce my courseload for next semester, because I feel overwhelmed by the number of responsibilities I took on this past semester, and I think I would perform better with less going on.鈥 You could also say something like, 鈥淢y grades aren鈥檛 as good as I expected them to be, and I鈥檓 worried that it is going to impact our relationship.鈥

Avoid making assumptions. Allow your family to share their perspectives and try to avoid making assumptions about how they feel, what they believe or how they鈥檒l handle something. Instead, ask open-ended questions and stay curious. It鈥檚 also important to know that what we hear isn鈥檛 always what the other person means. Take time throughout the conversation to restate what you think you heard them say and ask for clarity if your understanding is off base. 

Take a break if needed. Conversations can sometimes become heated or escalate into arguments. This is especially true when there are strong emotions, the stakes feel high or there is a significant difference in opinions or perspectives. If you feel like a conversation is turning into an argument or becoming unproductive, take a time out. Let the person know that it may be time to step away and come back to this conversation later. If it鈥檚 something you鈥檇 like to follow up on, plan a time when you can rein back up in 20 minutes or the next day after you both get some space. If it鈥檚 not something that you feel like you need to revisit, it鈥檚 also okay to say, 鈥淚 care more about our relationship than this debate. Can we talk about something else?鈥

Give grace. Change doesn't happen overnight, and conversations don't always resolve the way we鈥檇 like them to. Progress often takes a series of conversations and a willingness to keep trying. If things are left unresolved or it feels like you鈥檒l never reach an agreement, give yourself and your family member grace. Let your family know that you appreciate their willingness to talk with you. It鈥檚 important to remember that having differences in opinions doesn鈥檛 always mean there is conflict, and seeking to understand someone鈥檚 perspective and validate them doesn鈥檛 have to mean you agree. 


4. Reflect and look forward 

The end of the year is a great time to reflect on our accomplishments and look forward to what the upcoming semester and year have to hold. 

Looking back 

Think back on your accomplishments this past semester or year. Consider things you鈥檝e overcome and what you鈥檙e most proud of. This could include doing well on finals, successfully changing your major, making new friends or simply getting through a tough time.

Write them all down on a list and reflect on all the good things that have happened this year. When you鈥檙e done, take some time to celebrate the things you accomplished, no matter how small. 

Looking forward 

Now that you can see all the things you鈥檝e accomplished this past year, think about what you鈥檇 like to accomplish moving forward over the next few months or year. Perhaps you鈥檇 like to improve your grades, get a job or internship, be more active or get more involved on campus.  

Write them all on a list and start thinking through steps you can take to get there. For instance, you may need to update your resume, explore tutoring options, reach out to support services or plan on attending an event that interests you.  

Want to make it extra fun this year?   

Make a list for yourself of things you鈥檇 like to do over the next 12 months. This could include things like going to a specific sporting event, volunteering for a cause you care about, baking your first cheesecake, hiking a trail you鈥檝e been wanting to tackle or anything you鈥檇 like! As you write down your list, consider using local guides, online groups, family and friends to help you map out your year and improve your chances of success. Who might you share these adventures with? 


5. Reach out for support

If you鈥檙e struggling over winter break, there are resources on campus that can still support you. Here are a few you can take advantage of over break. 

CAPS provides services over winter break for students who will be in 蜜糖直播. They can also help connect you with a local provider if you鈥檙e staying somewhere outside the state of 蜜糖直播.  

If you are experiencing a mental health crisis, please call the CAPS crisis line and 303-492-2277 (24/7).

*Hours may vary over break.

AcademicLiveCare (ALC) is a telehealth platform that allows students to schedule and attend free counseling, psychiatry, nutrition and medical appointments from anywhere.  

*This program is free regardless of your insurance plan.  

WellTrack is a free app available to all 蜜糖直播 Boulder students. WellTrack is designed to help you identify, understand and address concerns related to stress, anxiety and/or depression. Their self-guided programs provide an informative and interactive way to manage your mental health and learn about additional resources.

OVA provides free and confidential information, consultations, support, advocacy and short-term trauma counseling services for students, staff and faculty who have experienced or witnessed a traumatic, disturbing or life-disruptive event. This includes things like familial abuse, intimate partner abuse, stalking, harassment, sexual assault and more.

*Hours may vary over break.

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