Growing up, I knew I would never be one of those girls who went to Mexico for Spring Break in college to party and drink.
I figured I would have close friends, and we would go on a Spring Break trip somewhere warm to have a fun, calm, relaxing break from school. What I didn’t know was that I would actually end up spending many Spring Breaks from the age of 15 till now, at 23, either in various medical locations for appointments and procedures or at home resting after feeling extreme burnout from balancing the first half of the semester and living with a chronic illness.
There is something about Spring Break that feels tainted for me. These “breaks” have not been a restful or fun time. Not in the slightest. These weeks are usually filled with dread and worry. From knee surgery to wisdom teeth removal to a colonoscopy, you could say that my Spring Breaks have been filled with…well, some interesting procedure prep and healing.
Often, the week would end, and I would feel just as, or even more, worn out.
I am in the middle of my final year of college and after what feels like endless years of school, I finally get to say this was my final Spring Break. In my mind, I figured since it was my final break maybe my luck had changed, and I’d be doing something fun for this final Spring Break.
NOPE! I guess the tradition continues.
Fortunately, this break’s medical appointments and procedures were less intense than others. This week consisted of an appointment with my general physician and a half an hour visit to the outpatient lab to have bloodwork done.
Nonetheless, it was still difficult and nowhere near the vision I had of boarding a plane with a group of friends to somewhere sunny and warm.
For me, sometimes looking at social media and seeing peers and others lounging around warm beaches or having fun gallivanting around European cities is almost harder than the actual medical appointment or procedure.
It is HARD to see your peers doing things you wish you were doing.
While I didn’t go anywhere fun physically during this final Spring Break, I did armchair travel many places thanks to YouTube travel vlogs.
It may seem a little contradicting to say that watching travel videos helps me feel better when I just wrote that seeing peers’ Spring Break social media posts is difficult. I love travel vlogs because I do not personally know the travelers, and they have no idea who I am. It feels more like I am watching a fun travel tv show rather than seeing people I know in-person traveling to fun places.
Watching travel vlogs is my escape, and this escape was very much appreciated during this Spring Break.
It is important to mention that the social media posts about fun Spring Break trips actually only represent a small fraction of what most people are actually doing over Spring Break. Many people did not have a fun Spring Break for various reasons. Some people probably used the week to work extra hours, some probably spent countless hours driving home to turn around and come right back, and others probably spent the whole week sleeping because they are so burnt out from the first part of the semester. It is a good reminder that what is shown on social media does not accurately reflect what most of your peers are actually doing.
No matter what you did during Spring Break, everyone needs an escape. For those who do not know what their escape is, I highly recommend watching travel videos. Below is a list and links to some of my favorite creators. These people are amazing storytellers that are able to help you armchair travel around the world.
Favorite Travel YouTubers to Watch:
I am putting it out in the universe that I will one day take a fun spring trip. Until then, thank you for joining me as I explore Spring Break as a college student with a chronic illness!
– Sierra
Thanks for your incredible blog. You inspire those with chronic illnesses and those, like me, who support them on their journey. Can’t wait to see your next post!