We are all ready for the upcoming week off from classes, and we are probably telling ourselves this will be the week we accomplish all those things we haven’t gotten around to during the semester: neglected homework, unfinished novels and incomplete crochet projects.

But what are we really going to do on those five days of freedom? Check Facebook and Instagram to see what everyone else is eating? Play Candy Crush? Watch Netflix? Yeah, that’s probably it.

While it does seem appealing to just zone out in front of one or several screens, there are better ways to spend the time, arguably, more relaxing ways.

As students, we spend the majority of our days planted in front of computer screens, and if we aren’t in front of a computer we are likely looking at our phones. Sometimes, we are looking at both.

This time off from classes could be used to recharge from our constant exposure to screens. Pick up a book, start a craft or hobby and talk to the people around you instead of texting the ones who aren’t.

Anyway, Thanksgiving is a time to be grateful for what we have, and social media can often result in feeling ungrateful so it might be easier to appreciate what is right in front of us if we aren’t seeing everyone else’s good fortune through a filtered lens.

Honestly, we are overwhelmed during the semester, especially this close to finals and the time off can either give us the break we need or it can become consumed in chaos. It is up to you how you want to spend it. Too much attention to electronic gadgets can leave you feeling anxious or overwhelmed, especially if friends are blowing up your newsfeed with pictures of their holiday plates.

Spending the week tech-free will leave you feeling refreshed and ready to finish up the semester with a newfound determination. If you have homework to do, try to finish it over the weekend, so you can leave the laptop behind and unplug from Thanksgiving break and plug into relaxation and calm.