By RORY MOORE
Tiger Media Network
The post-spring break haze is a colloquial term for students’ sluggish feelings after Spring Break. It is the mix of exhaustion, distraction and reluctance to return to a structured routine after a week of relaxing, partying, or traveling, and Fort Hays students are no strangers to that.
For seniors like Kaileigh Linn, completing simple tasks is challenging upon returning to campus especially as she approaches graduation.
“I went back home to California during my Spring Break,” she said. “Being back home made me realize how ready I am to be done. It’s been harder opening my emails and doing my assignments, but trying to remind myself I only have a month and a half left, so I think that’s been pushing me to work harder.”
Linn has found it difficult to focus on assignments due to her pending graduation.
“I feel like I’m starting to focus on what I’m going to do after I graduate,” she said. “My mind is more on what jobs I have to do when I go back and my applications [I’ll have to fill out] rather than focusing on what assignments and projects I need to get done. I’m trying to remind myself it’s all snowball, so I’m trying to be present and do what I can now that’s going to help me accomplish those goals.”
Junior Madison Taylor has a lack of motivation after the break.
“It’s like Christmas Break,” she said. “You don’t want to do anything because you’ve done nothing for a whole week. So, your body gets out of that routine that you’ve formed.”
Taylor spent her Spring Break at the Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri, which made her return harder.
“I basically sat out in the sun,” she said. “I did whatever I wanted. I went on hikes, and I didn’t even think about school at all.”
She overcomes those feelings by creating a structured routine and staying organized.
“I’m a list-oriented person,” Taylor said. “I’ll make a list out of all the assignments I need to complete that week. Getting a routine helps get back into the swing of things. I can’t focus until I have a clean room, so I came home, deep cleaned my room, caught up on laundry, went to the grocery store, and got all that out of the way. Then I focused on my week and what I needed to complete for that time.”
Junior Tony Leiker mistakes himself for being behind since coming back as a student worker and Graphic Design major.
“It feels like I went on a trip, came back, and now I’m making up a bunch of work that I missed,” he said. “It’s the same amount of work but it’s a lot after Spring Break. I’ve been drinking coffee non-stop to stay awake.”
Unlike other students, distraction is not uncommon for him.
“I’m always distracted,” Leiker said. “So, it’s not necessarily new to me, but it definitely plays a mix into it all. I give myself time to fidget around, and after a minute or so, I try to lock in and get back to work.”
Junior Aimee Merrill has struggled to readjust to campus life due to extra time off.
“I haven’t been productive at all since we got back from break,” she said. “Today’s the first day that I actually started doing work. I did take one day of absolutely nothing over the weekend. I didn’t do laundry or hardly anything. I bed-rotted for a day, and it helped me recoup.”
She advises other students to place their needs first to overcome the haze.
“Do what you need to do for self-care,” Merrill said. “Half a day, a whole day, 30 minutes, anything. Just do how you know to do your own self-care. You’ll get back into it.”