10 Ways to Spend Your Wellness Days
photo courtesy of unsplash / max van den oetelaar
The Spring 2021 semester consists of 14 weeks of classes and no spring break (RIP). The decision to cancel spring break ultimately had to do with preventing students from traveling, to contain the spread of COVID-19, but at what cost? We don’t know about you, but 3.5 months of Zoom, never-ending assignments, and professors who pretend like we aren’t in a global pandemic does not sound very easy to manage.
After over 2,000 signatures on a Change.org petition, Syracuse University graciously implemented two wellness days during this semester. How nice of them. So on Tuesday, March 23, and Wednesday, April 21, classes will not be held, and no work or exams will be due.
Interim Provost John Liu suggests students, “focus on personal restorative needs—whether that be exercising, sleeping, tackling life maintenance tasks or catching up on work.”
Jerk’s advice is to be responsible and use the two wellness days to study… JUST KIDDING! It’s time to break out your disc sleds and stock up on Claws ‘cuz we are here to make the MOST out of our 48 hours of freedom.
Here are Jerk’s 10 ways to get the most ~wellness~ out of your wellness days:
Plan Ahead
This may sound counterintuitive, but get your work and errands done BEFORE your day off. There is no better feeling than having a real break and relaxing, so write down the assignments you need to do and DO THEM before the wellness day starts. Trust us, it’s worth it.
Snow Much Fun!
March in Syracuse means more snow, so get a $10 sled from Walmart and head to the VPA hill or South Campus and enjoy! Some notable sledding hills include Crouse hill, Thornden Park hill behind the pool, and the Winding Ridge hill on South Campus. Make sure to bundle up with gloves and hats and take a few shots of Pink Whitney to keep you warm.
Movie Marathon
What better way to promote wellness than to delve into your comfort movies! If you have already watched the Harry Potter series during lockdown, or you’re tired of watching the same Tim Burton movies you’ve been binging since middle school, Jerk suggests mixing it up by watching “Framing Britney Spears” on Hulu or “Behind Her Eyes” on Netflix.
Video Game Tourney
Whether you have your own PC or console, or you sign up for a reservation at the Barnes Center E-Sports room, spending the day playing games with friends is excellent for wellness! The E-Sports room has console games such as Super Smash Bros Ultimate and Red Dead Redemption 2, and PC games such as Overwatch and Rocket League. There are also other options for online gaming with friends, like using Backyard.co, a website that allows for users to play games together while on video or voice call. Regardless of how you’re gaming, spending social time safely with friends will positively impact your day.
Schine Dining Tour
At this point, everyone knows about Schine’s new dining options such as The Halal Shack and Panda Express. A fun way to max out your FoodPLUS account and eat a bunch of food is by participating in a Schine Dining tour, where you eat your way around the student center’s dining
area. Schine provides a healthy balance of kale salads from CORELife and pizzas made out of gourmet chocolate from Chocolate Pizza Company.
Day Drink
There is a reason why Syracuse was named “#1 Party School in the Nation” by Barstool last year, during the winter there isn’t much else to do but drink. Of course, this wellness day suggestion is for our 21+ readers (and underclassmen with fakes), so please drink responsibly! If responsible drinking means shot-gunning natty lights in the safety of your own home, we can’t deny that, but maybe just ask yourself if you really should be skipping therapy.
4:20 2.0
The second wellness day is on April 21st, the day after the beloved holiday 4/20; this obviously means that for those who celebrate this religious day, there’s more time to celebrate this year. This is especially exciting because, for most, last year’s 4/20 was spent in lockdown in hometowns without any greens. For those who are not aware, 4/20 is a celebration of Mother Nature’s gift: Bud. Those who blaze can get lifted and participate in enjoyable wellness activities such as yoga, meditation, or simply vibing out to music.
Day Trip
A change of scenery is always nice after walking the same boring ass routine to Ernie & back for months, so pack a lunch and venture out of Syracuse (but make sure to stay in Central New York as to abide by the Stay Safe Pledge). Green Lake State Park is a popular outdoor destination, as well as Clarke Reservation State Park. Exercise and fresh air are great for health, just don’t forget to bundle up and wear a mask!
Barnes Center
Physical exercise is known to help produce endorphins and stimulate the brain, so take advantage of the Barnes Center and sign up for a reservation to workout, swim, or rock climb. The Barnes Center reservations typically get claimed within minutes (damn fitness bros). So make sure to set an alarm for when they open up, which is six hours before the start time. Whether you’re lifting weights, swimming laps, or just stretching, getting the blood pumping will improve your mood for the whole week.
Sleep
The final suggestion Jerk has for how to spend your wellness days is to rest. As students trying to learn in the middle of a legit pandemic, we need our sleep and relaxation. Invest in some blackout curtains and sleep in, lay around, and destress. Getting some well-deserved sleep can help you get the most out of your days off, but if we’re being honest, two days of a break for an accelerated 14-week semester is just the bare minimum. Just hit snooze!
If nothing else, be sure to give yourself some credit for pursuing a degree during these ~unprecedented~ times and spend your days off as you please.