It’s here, it’s finally here! Fall reading week! Well, not really a week, but two more days off. But week sounds a lot nicer, doesn’t it? Either way, it’s here and this is your official guide on how to get the most out of your first ever fall reading break.
Self Care
This one is so important and is actually the whole point of the break. Take some time for yourself. Go for a walk through the UBC Botanical Garden or binge watch Squid Game if you haven’t had the chance yet. Do a beauty sheet mask to get rid of your face mask acne while listening to Red (Taylor’s Version) to cleanse all that negative energy. Don’t answer that professor’s email, you don’t owe them anything (for three days anyways). Plus, you’ll need to do extra self care now, since the exam period will be shorter come December (because apparently there was no possible way to have a normal exam period and a reading break?).
Explore Vancouver
If you’re new to the city, then this is the perfect time to get out of your comfort zone! Go visit Stanley Park or see the famous Gastown clock. Remember that since Thursday is Remembrance Day, a national holiday, some businesses might be closed or have reduced hours. You could even go as far as heading to Whistler for the day with some friends (or by yourself!).
Meet up with some friends
I’m sure we all have friends who we don’t get to see that often because they go to different universities. Your friends from the University of Toronto, University of Alberta, University of Victoria — they all used to hang out during this time of year without you (how sad!). But now, you can finally meet up with them! No more FOMO! Granted, they can meet up for a little longer since they have actual week-long breaks, but still! You can even ask them how best to spend the break since they’ve had them for close to six years now.
Find some sunshine
Not literally, we all know it’s the dreaded gloomy Raincouver winter season. But find some positives! Do something that makes you happy that maybe you haven’t had time for lately. Bake some cookies (or just eat the cookie dough — both are acceptable). Get your endorphins up and go for a run or workout! Starting a gratitude journal can be really helpful too. Here’s an example first entry: I’m grateful that my university finally gave its more than 70 000 students a chance to prioritize mental health.
Sleep
Now some would argue that sleep goes under self-care, but I think it needs its own section. Who knew that pulling all-nighters every week to prepare for midterms, quizzes, and projects would have a negative impact on our mental health? Surely this is a new discovery. I mean, considering that UBC is the 2nd best university in Canada, there’s no way they would've known about this and not done anything to help us, right? This is your time to sleep in, stay in bed, and catch some well-deserved zzzz’s.
Whatever you do, do as little homework as possible. We didn’t wait 26 years for a reading break only for you to do exactly what you’d been doing without it — lots and lots of work.