The Big Winter Chill Out

Written By: Saeeda Ruffin

You’ve been holding things down during this crazy school year. From online school to getting used to seeing eyes and not smiles, it’s been a lot to deal with in this era of Covid. Well, Girl, you made it through and, now, is the time for you to just chill. You have earned every bit of this winter break. So, Young Queen, take these moments of quiet, and relax. It ain’t always easy to bring things all the way down after you’ve had to do so much to work in your daily life. TBH, people don’t realize how much they do until they get a minute to reflect. You have done A LOT. It’s time for you to go into this winter with a mind to do some serious unwinding. Think of this year’s break as the Big Winter Chill Out, and here’s how you can get the breather that you deserve:

Make A “Gingerbread House” Bird Feeder

This is a super easy and relaxing craft that you can do. You will need twine or yarn, a small milk carton or cardboard box, peanut butter, birdseed, and sunflower seeds. You may be surprised at how satisfying this will be. Put a hole in the top of the carton and tie the twine through so that it can hang from something. Smooth peanut butter on the carton. Decorate the carton with the birdseed to make it and wait for the birds to come singing and feasting nearby. It will be pretty cool watching them hanging out at your gingerbread feeder house. Take plenty of pics or videos. This could be meme gold!

Get Inspired

You get a couple weeks of not having to go on any school websites. That doesn’t mean you have to completely cut all vids out. Take this down time and get inspired. Watch some inspirational videos and documentaries about people who have done awesome things. Then, mentally store (or record in a vlog or journal) the good stuff that you got from the video that you can use in your life. People have been through some stuff, but they made it out alright. This could encourage you that you will come out just fine from your personal challenges too! You may learn more about your own personal strengths than you realized before.

Turn Down For What!

It might be hard to do, but you will probably feel your chillest when you turn off everything. No notifications, no calls, no social media, no nothing...a day of peace. OK, so it could be a little bit tough at first, but after a while, you could appreciate the quiet. Instead of being “connected” to your devices, connect to your family or the world around you. Reflect on what’s important to you. If you don’t know what that is, then, this would be a great time to figure it out!

Hibernate

Your bed just might be calling you. During the Big Winter Chill Out, it’s perfectly fine to answer. Yup, Sis, enjoy a day of just laying in the bed. Cuddle up with your cat, your dog, your stuffed animals, or your favorite pillow, and rest. Just so you know, you don’t have to actually sleep just because you’re in the bed. You might decide to kick it with your favorite playlist serenading you or even with a book that you’ve wanted to read, but didn’t have time. These winter breaks don’t come that often as you get older, so, take advantage of them...and chill.