During school, students rarely have time to spend any time with their family and friends which is why long breaks are a perfect time to add social events to the calendar. While it is important for students to take time to themselves to relax after feeling overwhelmed during school, students shouldn’t isolate themselves the entire time or connect virtually without limits.
Studies from Carnegie Mellon University prove that spending time with family and friends helps reduce stress instead of using negative or unhealthy coping mechanisms. This can also lead to forming a stronger bond between loved ones. According to Piedmont, “One study found that people who view their friends and families as supportive reported a greater sense of meaning in life and felt like they had a stronger sense of purpose.”

Spending time with family and friends can also increase meaningful memories and can bring happiness, which is important for students’ mental health. Spending time with friends and families is one of the best ways to create memorable experiences and can help form meaningful relationships. Forming meaningful relationships can benefit social skills which are essential for school and overall for the future. Nathan Hudson, who is an assistant professor of psychology at Southern Methodist University found that emotion is often associated with the people around you. Although there are some family members and even friends who show toxic behavior and can bring one sadness, it is important that people try to fill their surroundings with people who genuinely bring them happiness. Spending time with family and friends can also be beneficial, not only during long breaks but also during the weekends because it gives one something to look forward to after a long week of school, homework, sports, jobs, etc. Making plans with family members and friends can make great use for the weekend rather than spending countless hours on social media. However, it can be difficult to make plans with friends and families during the weekend because of homework, jobs, sports, etc. but one can also spend time with family and friends during the week like for example, having dinner time with family and getting into the practice of studying with friends which has both academic and mental health benefits. Spending time with family by having dinner multiple times a week is a great opportunity to catch up on life and can create new memories.
Some good ways to spend time with family and friends are to have dinner together, play sports that are enjoyable for everyone, and watch movies together.

This story was originally published in the November 2021 issue of The Rubicon.