As winter break approaches in just a few days, Syracuse University students are consumed with studying for finals and submitting their final papers and projects. The beginning of the semester, filled with football games and warm weather, juxtaposes the drastic temperature drop and increase in workload at the end of the semester, poorly affecting the mental health of many students.

Although there are wellness resources — including free counseling and fitness classes at the Barnes Center at The Arch — the winter season has made it difficult for many students to find motivation to even go outside if it’s not necessary.

Thanksgiving break allowed for students to take a much-needed pause on the stress that the semester had recently sprung with midterms. But the break was also the official start of the finals grind for most students. Right as midterms were over, students were bombarded with materials for final exams and projects from professors. Personally, I took the word “break” quite literally and barely opened my computer while at home.

This resulted in the accumulation of work awaiting me as I returned to campus, and my peers can attest to this. As the semester comes to an end, students are tackling the worst of it, but the finish line is so close. When they reach that finish line, winter break is a crucial time for college students to focus on their mental health.

Once December break begins, it will be the first time since August that many college students won’t be consumed with the combined stressors of classes, work, studying and social life. COVID-19 has brought an even higher level of stress to students these past couple years of the pandemic. “This year, the stress has increased as they attempted to do their work in masked and distanced classrooms … Students don’t want this break, they need this break,” Vicki Nelson wrote in a College Parent Central article titled “Your Student Needs This Time Over Winter Break” last December. After another year during the pandemic, this statement holds true.

Receiving random emails that a student in close proximity has tested positive for COVID-19 has become a regular occurrence for many. Random weekly testing emails flood students’ inboxes. Remaining safe from COVID-19 in college is a challenge and new stress of its own.

Going home will be a well-deserved time for students to not have these worries. Living on a college campus, going to dining halls and using shared bathrooms and other campus facilities make students more prone to contracting COVID-19. Being at home will relieve this stress.

Stress can cause major mental and physical health issues if disregarded. Almost all college students report experiencing stress, especially during finals week, but mental health often does not receive enough attention, possibly because everyone is going through intense academic pressure. Long-term stress interferes with the body’s immune, digestive and cardiovascular systems, and it can contribute to mental health issues like depression and anxiety, according to the National Institute of Mental Health.

Coming back from winter break with a fresh start will allow students to be prepared for new professors and a new workload. Having already adjusted to their living situation and friends this year, students can return to campus in January with a sense of drive and readiness to take on the second semester.

This time over break is essential for students after the mental toll that finals week takes on them. Relaxation, quality time with family and friends from home and a complete mental reset will rejuvenate students before they return to campus.

Jean Aiello is a freshman magazine, news and digital journalism major. Her column appears biweekly. She can be reached at jdaiello@syr.edu.

Published on December 12, 2021 at 11:04 pm