Chioma Chukwuma

Finally. It’s 1 in the afternoon. You’ve just woken up and the sun is shining through your windows. It’s spring break and you have nothing to do and no one to-

Bzzt- Bzzt.

You reach over for your phone and see 367 missed messages from the group chat, 9 Snapchat messages, and a missed FaceTime call. You may be tempted to just put your phone on Do Not Disturb.

I know some people who just disappear over breaks. No warnings, no heads up. During winter or spring break, I’ll be lucky to get a text back.

But are they doing something right?

How can you use your spring break as a way to recharge and take a bit of a break…from everyone else?

Well, figure out what you need. That might mean being that person who ghosts the group chat then shows up a week later with a meme.

Or maybe you just need to figure out when to be present. This can mean talking to your friends at random times throughout the day and then turning off your notifications at night to you can have more personal time to yourself.

It can also be only hanging out with friends and completely ignoring whatever is going on in your phone.

Whatever it is, just remember that this is spring break. It’s supposed to be what gives us that final bit of energy to get us through the last two months we have before the school year is officially done. We are so close to the finish line for this year. Make sure you don’t burn out before you get there.

With a school as geographically diverse as Vanderbilt, we knew that y’all would be going all over the place for spring break. So, we asked over 100 Vanderbilt students where they would be going for Spring Break and here are 10 of the top answers:

1. Florida
   • Ft. Lauderdale
   • Orlando
   • Miami
2. Chicago
3. Texas
4. Jamaica
5. New Orleans
6. California
7. Colorado
8. Cancun
9. Nashville
10. Alabama

The majority of answers said somewhere in South Florida. Make sure to grab a snap with your fellow Commodore if y’all see each other over break!

Work experiences for a lot of introverts who to work with other people usually consists of questions like: 

“You don’t talk?” 

“Is something wrong?” 

“Are you mute? Ha ha.”  

I get it. Silence makes some people uncomfortable! It makes people think that you don’t like them (not true) or that you don’t want to talk to them (a little true). Small talk, although the process of that is comparable to a slow and calculated torture, is necessary. So, how does someone who prefers comfortable silence and keeping to themselves navigate the workspace without driving themselves crazy? 

Personally, I’m still figuring it out. But I have three quick tips that I give a try every now and then when I’m trying to cultivate workplace relationships that can be important.  

1. Have Pre-Planned Questions  

I know how that sounds, but when you need to have conversations with people you don’t know or are not particularly comfortable around yet, pre-planned questions have worked for me. It sounds unnatural, but something like “What’s your favorite movie?” or a question about current events can create authentic conversation that you can work with.  

2. Join a Group  

A lot of times at work, there will be already formed groups of people who know each other. Introducing yourself to a group of people rather than a single person can reduce the pressure to initiate conversations. And, you get to meet a lot of people at once instead of doing the introduction process a dozen times. 

3. Pray for an Out-Going Coworker 

Not even joking when I say this. The amount of times I’ve been approached by someone who was super outgoing saved me so much pressure. They’re able to maintain conversation and all you have to do is keep up. 

I think a lot of people underestimate what it takes for introverts to put themselves out there. In a lot of cases, it can require you to act like someone you’re not in order to maintain constant conversation and an open, energetic personality. But in the end, workplace relationships are necessary to have so it’s important to try. And you never know who you might meet once you step out of your comfort zone.

Photos courtesy of Giphy and MTV.

I cannot count the amount of times growing up, I was asked why I was alone. I was social and hung out with people, but I also had a tendency to sit and do stuff by myself for hours, like reading or writing. And at the time, I thought it was because I was shy and didn’t know how to talk to people but looking back at it now, maybe it had more to do with the fact that I didn’t want to talk to people. I actually liked being alone. (Now I know how that sounds. People who like to be by themselves are considered to be loners, a title that sometimes even extends itself to weirdo. But I think loners get a bad rep.)

Besides needing the alone time to recharge, introverts just like spending alone time with themselves. It isn’t the same as being lonely. While there are people I would like to hang out with, I also like working with myself. Being alone allows you to connect with yourself on a level that you may not be able to on a day to day basis when you’re around everyone else. When I’m by myself, I can sort out my thoughts, work through any problems that are bothering me, or even just meditate. I don’t think enough people are okay with being alone with themselves and their thoughts, which is why you see so many attempts of people trying to distract themselves from…well themselves.

Next time you’re by yourself and are about to text someone to hang out, figure out whether it is because you’re alone or lonely. And if you’re just alone for once, take a few moments to enjoy it.

To some, the feeling is familiar. You’re at a thing, it can be a party, a classroom, or even just with a group of friends. Somehow, it seems like everyone is loud and excited, vying to be in the middle of whatever it is that’s happening but for you, you’re content just hanging outside of it all.  

One trait a lot of introverts share is being an observer. Rather than being in the middle of a group, you may find them on the outside, watching life go on instead of being the center of attention. Personally, I don’t think being a wallflower gets enough credit. A lot of attention goes to the person who’s at the center of it all (cough extroverts) and a lot of times they’re who ends up being remembered. And it’s understandable y’know. Why would anyone notice the person on the edge of everything? 

I used to think How do people have the energy to be “on” like that all the time? How do people not get tired?  Remaining and maintaining the attention of people always took more energy than it was worth for me. So instead, I’ve figured out how to lean into being on the outside of things. Being there, you’re able to see, hear, and pick up on things that those in the center can’t and honestly that can be more fun. And you don’t get drained in the process.

So next time you’re out, and a part of you feel like you should be talking just as loud or expending just as much energy as the people going crazy in the middle, maybe listen to the other part of you that just wants to relax and watch everything that goes down instead knowing that there are perks to being a wallflower.