Avoid Vacation Brain Drain By Doing These Effective Tips
You're about to experience a winter slide soon. If you don't have a clue about it, you're about to find out how to keep your mind sharp while you're away from college.
In economics, brain drain refers to the migration of skilled professionals in a developing country to a developed country. They want to seek greener pasture, and it could be due to political or economic factor(s) or both. In education, brain drain would mean something else. If you can't put to use the knowledge that you learn in the lecture room, you would lose it. You don't want it to happen sooner, yet the pressure could get to you. The period after Thanksgiving and before Christmas would be a stressful period, and you could experience a brain drain during the Thanksgiving holiday. (You must be thinking about Black Friday these past two weeks or so.) You're not too late to come up with a plan.
You still have time to exercise in the morning or early evening, and you haven't lost sleep on paper writing. You have a small group of (new) friends who you can count for support. (And inviting them for a study session won't take too much effort.) This should keep you upbeat about the upcoming weeks. If you want to survive the busy month of December, you must be able to follow some tips that should keep you from brain drain during the Thanksgiving holiday. It would be better to have a small slice of that turkey and forget Black Friday. (You would need the money next month.)
How to Enjoy the Downtime of a Break
Read a book or two. Reading is the last thing that you want to do during the holiday. You've been reading since the start of fall, and you're thinking about Reading Week next month. You should have been a fast reader, if not an expert on what chapters to read and what chapters to skip or browse. This is a different one, where you can read at your own pace. Moreover, you don't have to make further studies on the classics. Young-adult literature is your first alternative, and there are many titles to consider. For instance, Rick Riordan collaborated with a number of (American) writers, whose parents come from different parts of the world. They are familiar of the customs and beliefs of their parents' home country; you're getting impatient about the release of "City of the Plague God", where Sarwat Chadda would explore Mesopotamian mythology. You enjoy Jennifer Cervantes's intriguing comparison between Maya mythology and Mexica beliefs, though. (Aztec would be the familiar term for Mexica.) You haven't traveled beyond the mainland, but your mind has been everywhere during the past year or two. And you relish the humor. If Young-adult literature is not your cup of tea, you would be interested in another literary genre, if not a certain author. You haven't studied that genre (or that author), which is good. You won't feel any pressure for now.
Engage in thoughtful conversation with your coursemate(s). This is the perfect time to use social media wisely, as you get in touch with your cousemate(s) and ask anyone about literary preferences, popular culture, and adaptation of one medium into another one. It should keep you awake for much of the night, as the topic could range from the recent release of the trailer for "Cats" to the upside (or downside) of Netflix adapting Darren Shan's Cirque Du Freak series to the small screen. Keep in mind that technology could accelerate brain drain if you don't use your laptop (or iPad) properly. (There are too many distractions unless you can show self-control.) You can talk about TV shows and/or movies even if it's too commercial for your own good.
Review your notes while you prepare for the busy month of December. Thanksgiving holiday is several days long, which is a short time if you think about past holidays. If you make the most out of your time, you could review and plan your routine next month. You should have learned that you must be flexible about it, as there are unforeseen circumstances (like missing the deadline to one of your assignments). It should keep your (high) spirit.
A Warning on Passive Activities
Passive activities like gaming are not only addictive, but you also lose your enthusiasm and interest in the coursework. You must limit the number of minutes (into it) during the holiday, if not find productive activities as substitutes. You can talk about it to your family, who would be more than glad to suggest something. Don't oppose any new ideas, as this kind of gathering should keep you in a good mood. (And you would need it during those challenging moments.) If you're thinking of treating yourself after more than a month of exerting lots of effort (on your studies), you could think of a holiday. You can plan it after Christmas, though.
