Time has been moving faster than usual, people seem generally more stressed earlier in the year, and up until a few days ago it still felt like July. The past few weeks have been strange and, for me at least, stressful. With everything that has been happening lately, I find myself wishing more and more for the ability to freeze time. Honestly, a shortened fall break did not help relieve that feeling.

Don’t worry. This isn’t some call to arms where I demand an extended fall break for next year (although seriously, a full week would’ve been so, so nice). Rather, it’s a proclamation: it’s okay to just stay home over fall break. It seems like a simple enough thing to say, but whenever I’m asked what I’m doing for a break–and I say “nothing”–I have a weird sense of embarrassment.

When it comes to breaks and holidays, this is the norm: if people have the opportunity to go out of town, they think they should. But sometimes, all I want to do during a break is catch my breath. Don’t get me wrong. I love traveling, but traveling takes energy, and, sadly, I don’t always have enough.

Over fall break, my family was actually planning on taking an eight-hour drive to visit my grandmother, staying there for two days, then heading back on Monday. As much as I love my grandmother, I’m glad we didn’t go. I had a lot of things I needed to do, and that weekend was just not a good time for a road trip. Instead, I used my break to catch up on work, hang out with some friends, and let myself relax.

Despite the fact that it was shorter than normal, I still got what I wanted from fall break this year: rest. It’s important that people know there are times when doing “nothing” is the better option. It’s okay to slow down from time to time. It’s okay if that means staying home over break.