Youth Perspective: Adjusting during winter break

In the first Youth Perspective article of 2022, Mentor USA’s Youth Advisory Committee Member, Grace Boudris, shares her thoughts on how coming back home from college during winter break can be just as challenging as adjusting to school in the beginning of the year.

17 January 2022 | Youth Advisory Committee

Photo Courtesy: Grace Boudris/Mentor USA (left), Taryn Elliott via Pexels.com (right).

Coming back from school and adjusting back home can be just as hard as adjusting to school at the beginning of the year. You miss friends, clubs, activities, weekend fun, and sometimes even academics. For me, I made new friends who happen to not live close to me so coming back home was definitely different without them.

Finding ways to keep busy while being home for winter break can be challenging, especially if you’re not one to like the cold weather. I don’t mind it since I love my seasons but it’s never not painful to be outside when it’s cold. During break, I take winter courses to earn extra credits, I work as a lifeguard which I’ve been doing for almost four years now, as well as teach kids how to swim, which I adore. Though, none of this really fits what I like to call “fun.”

When kids have a lot of free time on their hands, they can resort to some things that aren’t necessarily healthy or even legal. During the winter, I’ve come to love being outside, even with cold weather and high winds. While going for a walk after the snow has just hit the ground for some people may not seem ideal or pleasant, it’s beyond peaceful and rewarding to know that the world around you is beautiful in its own way, at all times. You just have to open your eyes and look around you.

Youth Perspective - adjusting during winter break
Photo Courtesy: Tyler Domingue via Unsplash.com (left), Alexandra Luniel via Unsplash.com (right).

Enjoying the outdoors during any time of the year can teach you that money doesn’t buy happiness. For many people in the world, money isn’t even an option. Going outside and admiring the snow or the mountains around you brings you much more satisfaction than any phone or device ever would. Not to mention, being outside for even an hour is an hour where you can escape the stress of school, home, etc. And while snowboarding isn’t free, it brings me the most joy in the world. It’s easier to make the most of your time than to dread the winter since it can’t be avoided. Now, I look forward to every winter so I can get on the slopes with friends.

Finding something to look forward to when you come back home from college or school makes life a lot more enjoyable, and it just so happens that the outdoors seems to relax anyone who can find beauty within it.