As we slowly, oh so slowly, find our way to Spring break, I have been thinking about the concept of relaxation. One part of me wants to say that we (Americans) do not relax enough. Taking the time to “smell the roses” is considered to be cliché and an overall mundane experience. Instead to preserving more of the natural environment – where we could enjoy our “relaxation” time – we clear the land, kill the wildlife, and build more highrises. On average, Americans get two weeks of vacation time, opposed to the European standard of four weeks of vacation. Many people never take the full two weeks because they just can’t afford to miss work.
The other part of me feels like we relax too much. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want more working hours. I just feel like when you are working, you should be doing just that, working. When you have an assignment, a job, or an appointment, complete the task to the best of your ability rather than rush to get it done. It is not that we need more time, we need more dedication to the tasks at hand – both working tasks and relaxation tasks.
So, during this Spring break take some time to relax – really relax. Unplug from the world a bit. Don’t chat on your cell phone while watching the waves at the beach – listen to the waves as you are watching them. If you choose to stay home all day and watch movies, do it right and pop some popcorn to snack on during the process. Spring break is a gift to those of us still in the education world. Take advantage of it while you can…
29 comments:
I'm actually going to relax this break. I'm going to Atlantis with my family. No cell phone (even though it isn't my choice. Atlantis is a different country so it would be roaming to the max). It will just be my family and I at the pools and beaches enjoying ourselves. I feel like school is a lot and we can't really relax as much as we would want to. But this spring break I am actually glad to get away from everything.
This spring break I am so excited to be able to relax. Theres nothing like sleeping in and not having to worry that your missing something at school. I think you are right that we should do things to the best of our ability. We should take the time to do something right as to just doing it to do it. I'm really just going to try to get away from it all.
I'm glad you feel that way, but my science teacher does not. She is giving us a project that is due the day we come back from break. Lovely, I know. I also have to take my ACT the first saturday of break, I can't go out Friday night because of this. Really my break does not start until two o'clock saturday afternoon. Then I get to do a project. Other then that, I can't wait.
To start out my post, it is now 6:00pm I just dragged myself off of my driveway into my house. I've never been so tired after a football workout ever. By the way, we got done at 3:30.
Americans as a whole do not relex
"enough" if that is what you would like to say, but I don't understand why it has to be bad. Every comparison we make is based on our surroundings (what we see, our peers, etc.) If all Americans work too much, isn't that the same as saying that no American works too much? You cannot be considered a hard worker until you place yourself in competition with others. However, I do have to say that it is not healthy to take on such a heavy workload. Spring break is coming up and we all need to use this time to take some time for ourselves. I will not have lived a full life until I have realized what is truly important and also realized that that something is not work. Work makes us better, but we also need to reap the benefits to stay sane.
i agree with you. we spend too much time stressing over school, work, guys/girls, and everything inbetween. spring break is a short relaxation time we got to actually get away from the stress. we need to use our spring break whisly because we only have it for a short time.
I cannot wait to sleep in day after day, and lay on the beach without having to worry about whether or not I have homework.
I agree with your point that Americans do not relax enough. In Australia, malls were always closed on Sundays, and closed most days around 5:30, Thursdays at 9:00. This allowed people to spend more time relaxing, something that Americans would benefit from.
I wish I can say the same and say I’m going to relax during spring break...i am going to be working all spring break and also i have a tournament during the weekend in Jupiter. I always feel like I don’t have time to relax. I am either at school, work, gym, tournaments or practcing to get better in basketball. It is true many people look as relaxing as a bad thing but the body and mind can take so much. I can't wait until summer to relax a bit more even though ill be doing everything the same but without school it will cause less stress.
Spring Break is a gift from god. I wake up eery morning at 4:05! I do this because my whole morning routine takes way too long and i would rather have more time then less. Since I wake up at this time my everyday (including weekends) wakeup time is much earlier. I cannot sleep till 10:00 anymore on weekends I wake up at 7ish or 8. So this spring break I am going To go in my bed and stay there for forteen days straight. I will also go to the gym but mostly sleep.
Before it use to seem so hard to me for me to disconnect myself from the world and relax, but now I love doing it. And I am more than ready to relax this spring break and rejuvenate myself. This year has been so busy I am ready for break! Luckly, it's two days away.
I agree with you in saying that americans don't relax quite enough. So here's my promise. For at least 4 out of the 7 days we have off, I will not bring my phone out of my car when i go to the beach. Relaxation is really all in the way that you view it. If you really focus on relaxing, then you're trying too hard. Just release all control on your body and slump down on the beach. And for God's Sake don't forget the sunscreen! haha
My mother and I have this everyday routine where we text each other 'stop to smell the roses today' and I found it pretty cool that you mentioned that in this blog entry.
I truly try to appreciate what's not affecting me as well as what is. There's so much more that goes on around us that we truly can't grasp the aesthetic's of the universe enough. Being able to fully 'relax' takes patience and will and I can honestly say that I will try my best to adhere to both as my Spring Break begins at 2:41 PM Friday afternoon.
I am so going to relax at my favorite place ever... the beach! It's a tradition with my family to go to the British Virgin Islands every year so that is how I am spending my Spring Break. At the beach, everyday, on a boat. Oh my gosh, I'm going to be in heaven!
I definitely agree with you, and reading your article kinda relaxed me in a way from all the stress i had. Anyways, i can't wait for spring break!!! only one day left!well... actually 2 cause I take the ACT on Saturday. But other than that, can't wait!!!
What you said is completely true. Americans are always stressing out over stuff. We need to learn how to relax and to take break every one and while.
Im going to relax for sure. I'm going to catch on my sleep and relax on the beach, and just chill with the family and some friends. I'm not going on any vacations but my uncle is coming down with his girlfriend and I can't wait to see them.
You have no idea how bad I want Spring Break to come already. It was already dreadful to come to school this one week to start off the new quarter and then go on vacation. I will be relaxing on my hammock and reading books until the sun goes down and I won't be able to read the words. Of course though, I am going to go out and party as well..I just have to even it out and stay home some days so I won't get in trouble
I can not wait until spring break. I get to just chill out and just relax like you said. The only sad part is that spring break doesn't last for ever. I hope my spring break is going to be a great one. After all of our education spring break is no more! I sure will miss it, but we move on :) One more day until relaxation, woohoo!
Spring break is going to be amazing. There will be NO relaxation what so ever! Its going to be filled with fun and nothing but fun. When I sleep will be the only time I really get to "relax" - Were going to go scuba diving, partys, and crazy shit we can only get away with when we are teenagers like you said in class.
I was actually thinking about this today, before I even read your blog. Every once in a while my mind gets so jumbled up with ideas that I just need to escape for a couple of hours and think. I love going over to Vista View Park in Davie, driving all the way up to the top, and leaving my phone in the car. I always find a nice spot in the grass and watch over all of Weston. It's extremely relaxing and quiet, which allows me to think.
Personally I don't believe Americans relax nearly as much as we should. When we are not working we are worrying about work. When we are not worrying about work we are stressing about paying all the bills and supporting a family which once again falls back to thinking about work. I think this country would be best suited having a one day a week every week that almost every businesses shuts down. It can work. We are able to do it on Christmas and on Thanksgiving. Israel has proved to us that this can be an effective policy. Every Saturday all shops and stores close down to observe the Sabbath. This allows there to be more family time, but more importantly more personal relaxation time.
I’m so excited for Spring break. For some reason it cant come fast enough. I’m antsy to give up worrying about school and work and to start thinking about things like beach with my biggest problem being if my tan line is weird. I still remember the old times when I was young and I didn’t have a care in the world, but as you grow older and bigger your problems and stress do as well. I like to think of any break from school is a time where the stress level should be no different from that of toddler. Have fun, but most important relax.
I love spring break! The negative side of it is that the school gives us a whole week of a new quater before it and everyone is going to forget what they leared and it just seems pointless. I'm going to Orlando for 4 days. When I come back I'm just going to relax and sleep. I rather go on a cruise beucase you forget about a lot of things and it's the best thing to do if tou want to relax and forget about everything else.
I relax. I have incense and I have music and I have writing. It's how I unplug myself from the world. I turn off all electronics and lock my door. I write and write and write until my hand hurts. What comes out is beautiful or frustrating, sappy or gibberish. Still it helps me unwind, and what better way right? Still, this Spring Break is going to be a busy one for me, although somehow I mean that in a good way. First, I'm going to take this time to finish up books that I've been writing and novels I've been writing. Second, my friend and I are putting up a website for video game reviews, I'm especially exited about that. And finally, this same friend and me are going to get together and play music. I've been writing some of the stuff that I have planned we're going to play and it sounds really mellow. I'm loving how music sounds so different on actual instruments than how it does when you first imagine it. It's still good but it's different, almost like music has a life of its own. I think that's what keeps me going at it. Oh, I think I strayed of topic. My point is although this Spring Break will be filled with adventures it will also be hard work and it's hard work I'm excited for.
I can honestly say I know how to relax...I've been practicing a lot over the years to the point that I could say with some confidence that I might have just mastered it. And I totally agree with the whole 4 weeks instead of 2 (totally sick). But what really sucks is that even though it is a break I have to do a project over it and a 5 page research paper. So even though I'm going to try to relax I will always have those looming over my head until I do them. Which is why I think it is unfair for some teachers to do that. Giving their kids work over a break where they don't have to worry about anything...that's just wrong!
This spring break I tried to do just that. I still went out and partied every night, but during the day I went to the beach and just chilled. To me partying and hanging out with my friends is a way of relaxation. I came back to school a lot better than when I left, I really used the last week to its fullest advantage.
You do make a really good point. People in other parts of the world really do get to relax more when it comes to vacations, but when we compare ourselves to the children of India and china, we practically don’t do anything. I recently watched a movie in my American history class and it proves through statistics that Chinese and Indian kids study all day and are always busy, when an American kid studies an average of one to two hours and relax almost all day. We maybe do need more vacations when it comes to adults and work, but when it comes to being a kid we really don’t do as much as we think we do.
But you are right about getting a job done right, if you’re not going to do something right then might as well not do it at all. But it is good to know when to relax and when to buckle down and get to work. So we need to manage our time and do the work were suppose to do right, and take time out for relaxation.
And spring break was the most amazing thing ever. I relaxed the whole time, beach, parties, and girls, it was a really good and relaxing spring break, considering I didn’t know what was going on half the time. =] But your right when you relax might as well do it right and fully relax, just let your mind flow and chill!!!
I think its ridiculous that people only get two weeks vaction even though they don't use it all. I know that my dad never takes his full two weeks vacation, but i think it will feel more comforting to know that you do have it. When it comes to kids however, i feel that some of us relax to much. Mostly when it comes to school, but when you brought out stop and smell the roses i don't feel that we really do. I am going to take more time out of my day to appreciate the little things in life.
I am so glad that I just get to chill this spring break. Away from school. This break I just want to have a good time and hang with people and just get away from school. Because to me you have to try to enjoy it while it lasts
Its funny I come across this blog after I wrote my blog on Meditation. Thats what its all about, clearing your mind, unplugging from the world as you said, and relaxing.
I do think though that there is nothing wrong with the amount of work we do here in America, im really not the one to speak because I never had a full time job, but I know many people are unable to relax unless they have done the work they need to do.
Doing your job to the fullest like you said is a very satisfying, knowing that you didn't half ass it but that you tried your best. This self satisfaction is a great excuse to... relax
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