Spring break is meant to be a time of relaxation: a time to set back the clocks in your brain before fourth quarter puts them into double time. So why is it that every time I lounge on the couch watching Netflix, or tan by the pool, I find myself pondering third quarter grades and how I did on my last skills quiz?

School becomes an inescapable shadow that follows me into the sun when I try my best to escape Minnesota’s grueling overcast. We’ve all seen Peter Pan–there’s no point in attempting to evade your silhouette; you can’t. But you can ignore it, and here are a few tips on how.

Tip #1: Disconnect.

Dare I say it, turn off your phone! Separate yourself from all things school by temporarily putting an end to Betty Brown emails (you don’t need to know what we’re having for lunch on April 4th), reminders (JV snack committee can wait) and Bear time. Try your best to stay off of social media and devote your time to focusing on yourself, and not what all your friends are up to. Our brains make subconscious connections like, ‘Friends! School! Homework!,’ but try to avoid this thinking; you may just wind up rewriting February’s English essay.    

Tip #2: Treat Yo’self.

Catch up on Grey’s Anatomy, eat good food, get some sun and sip on a (virgin) piña colada. All those things you wanted to do last weekend but couldn’t? (Curse you, Physics midterm!) Now’s the time. If you do have work to do, get it done early so the thought doesn’t hang over your head for the rest of break.

Tip #3: De-Stress.

My personal fav: keep a stress ball in your beach bag so when those academic thoughts creep into your head, you have an outlet to extinguish them. I highly recommend the Dammit Doll–“Whever things don’t go so swell, and you want to hit the wall and yell, here’s a little Dammit Doll, that you can’t do without, just grasp it firmly by the legs, and find a place to slam it. And as you whack the stuffing out yell “DAMMIT!”” DAMMIT!””DAMMIT!”

Good luck and safe travels on your journey to escaping school!