By Emma Weidmann | Staff Writer

Many college students will be struggling with FOMO, or the fear of missing out, this spring break. For students who aren’t traveling far, it can be hard to stay close to home while watching friends take big, out-of-state vacations. Here are some tips to avoid that restless feeling and come back to campus ready to finish the semester strong.

1. Take a day trip

Surrounding nearly every major city are small towns like Fredericksburg, just outside of San Antonio, or Grapevine, which is near Dallas. These towns are full of quirky, small businesses and lots to do. Whether you’re in search of boutiques or bookstores, a day trip outside of the city is always a good choice.

2. Pick up a new hobby

When staying at home, it’s easy to get bored. But, by picking up a new hobby, like painting or reading, you can find ways to learn something different every day and keep yourself on your toes throughout the week. When I’m off from school, I love to be able to go home and paint or do other creative things that I don’t have the space for on campus. I also have no time to read for fun when I have work to do for all of my classes, so vacations are a great time for me to catch up on that.

3. Talk to friends

It’s important to stay connected to friends from school over break. Texting daily and sending each other TikToks is a great way to maintain the same humor and closeness even though your friend group may be hundreds of miles apart. When you and your friends from high school are all home for break, it’s a great opportunity to coordinate a time to get together and catch up with each other’s college lives. However, spring breaks at different schools don’t always line up. In that case, a simple FaceTime works just as well. While it may not be in person, just having a conversation with an old friend is a great way to get in touch with the part of your life that you may not think about so much while at school.

4. See the new movies that are hitting theaters

This month, there have been a number of new movies coming to theaters. From romantic comedies like “Marry Me” starring Jennifer Lopez and Owen Wilson to action flicks like “Uncharted” starring Tom Holland, there is something for everyone playing right now. There’s nothing like the experience of actually going to the theater as opposed to streaming a movie on your couch. Take the opportunity to go to a theater and help an industry that has been hit hard by the pandemic.

5. Take a self-care day

College can create an environment that makes it hard to take care of yourself. Many students pull late nights at the library and wake up early in the morning to make it to class. Take the time over spring break to catch up on the sleep you may have missed out on over the semester and to find ways to relax that take up a little more time than you can afford when class is in session. One of my favorite ways to do this is to dedicate an entire day to cleaning my room, exercising, doing skincare and doing loads of laundry all at once. It makes for a nice feeling of resetting for the rest of the semester and coming back to school with a clean slate.