After a challenging four months of school, it felt as if Fall Break couldn’t have arrived sooner. The first Monday morning of the break felt as if the sun cleared away any clouds and the birds chirped extra joyfully. I had made special plans to go to Knott’s Berry Farm with my mom, sister and friends, which turned out to be a memorable experience.

The next day, I reveled in the idea that I would be able to stay in the comfort of my bed and escape the responsibilities, like college applications, biology homework and my Theory of Knowledge exhibition, that stressed me so. 

It was reassuring to know that for the next two weeks I would be able to take some much-needed rest and me-time, or so I thought. What I had forgotten were the piles of homework annoyingly waiting to be completed.

I shook the idea out of my mind; none of it mattered at the time because I had two weeks to enjoy my time off. I’ll start it soon, I told myself foolishly.

As the days went on, I valued my time by watching TV, hanging out with friends and visiting family. However, by Thursday the nagging thought of homework disrupted the me-time I  needed so desperately. This is so unfair, I thought. Why can’t I just unwind and appreciate this well-deserved break?

To put me at ease, I began working on the daunting essays assigned for my different classes and did my best to comfort the anxiety about my work. After I was able to complete most of the assignments, the weight of the workload disappeared from my mind and I continued to enjoy my time off.

Without notice, it was nearly the end of break and once again, the pile of homework I had tried to avoid for so long sat mockingly high on my desk. I was frustrated with myself for postponing my homework for so long since I had never procrastinated on assignments before. But, with the understanding of my actions and many sleepless nights, I eventually got to completing the work.

Through reflection, I found that self-care is as important as completing homework on time. Part of being in the International Baccalaureate program means students must work towards fulfilling the “Caring” learner profile trait, which I found is something I have not been working towards. Looking back at it now, although this break was by far my least favorite break, I was able to come out of it with a new realization in mind: there is a long road ahead of me until I can fulfill the meaning of “self-care.”