Returning to school after break can be rather taxing. For those in high school, the change is just in sleep schedule and work. However, for the college student, the transition is far more difficult. That first day returning after being rid of tests, work, and classes is quite eye-opening. Most find it difficult to focus and they feel scatterbrained that first week back. Being away from roommates and friends has allowed some to get used to the quiet and when they return, they forget the hectic life of living with a dorm and having friends. If you’re like me, then winter break was mainly spent catching up on all of the episodes of my favorite show that I missed during the fall semester.

Changing from a boring, Netflix-induced coma to a hectic time back on campus is fairly intense. Also, that first week consists of syllabi and meeting new professors. Students have to learn the personalities of their new professors along with figuring out how to stay on their professor’s good side. New classes can be interesting and fun but no one enjoys paying an arm and a leg for books and other such supplies. Coming back after winter break, bookstores don’t typically offer the same deals and discounts as they do before the fall semester. It’s not fair but nothing in life is really fair. Even though all of this chaos is occurring, it’s still important that students take care of themselves.

Anxiety is the number one struggle that college students face and although some anxiety is good, too much can harm a person’s ideals about themselves and can harm their ability to function as a college student. After the first day back on campus, Lander University students describe themselves as being adventurous, fatigued, stressed, and nervous. These are all normal feelings so long as they don’t stop the students from going to class and being the best that they can be.

One thing that helps me beat the After-Break Fever is to just ignore how I feel and get through the day. The less time you spend worrying about the class or the professor, the more time you can focus on yourself and how you can be happy. It seems cliché to quote a Disney film but there are three films that sum up how you can turn a bad day around and make that stressful, anxiety-filed day into a positive one. Those films are Meet the Robinsons, Finding Nemo, and The Lion King. Meet the Robinsons shared the message that all you can really do is “keep moving forward”. Dory from Finding Nemo taught us to “just keep swimming”. Finally, The Lion King taught us that “It means no worries, for the rest of your days…Hakuna Matata”. So with all of these helpful quotes from Disney, remember that, even though the coming semester may seem difficult or even impossible, don’t sweat it because life will figure itself out, so long as you believe in yourself.