DECEMBER 5, 2025 | OPINION | By Lilly Asano
I have a love-hate relationship with Block Breaks. In theory, I love the idea of having just short of five days off to explore the Rocky Mountains and the American Southwest. I hike. I ski. I love traveling and spending time with my friends. However, in reality, a lot of my Block Breaks have been disastrous. I’ve run out of water and firewood almost an hour from the closest gas station. I got tonsillitis on a houseboat in Lake Powell on the Arizona–Utah border. I cracked my ski helmet open while on a trip to Big Sky, Mont. I’m a terrible travel agent and planning breaks stresses me out.
When my friends and I decided to stay on campus for our last Block Break, I was surprisingly relieved: no trips to the Ahlberg Gear House. We didn’t have to worry about where we would stay or book a campsite. We didn’t have to rush out of our last day of class to frantically pack our cars and get on the road. No splitting gas fares or trip expenses. Instead, we had five days completely open.
According to the college’s website, “every time we switch academic gears, we recharge with the perfect length break.” While some students may choose to travel and explore, CC also writes that others “enjoy some well-deserved calm right at home in Colorado Springs.”
But our student body is made up of outdoor enthusiasts and well-traveled kids in their early twenties. Whether it’s a product of social media or student demographics, I think most students have a hard time doing nothing. Camping in the fall. Skiing in the winter. Visiting friends at other colleges. Moab. Lake Powell. Aspen. Crested Butte. Taos. The Grand Tetons. A 14er’s summit. Each Sunday evening, an Instagram post captures places most U.S. citizens will likely never see. It sometimes feels performative, as if we are all trying to outdo each other.
Even 27 years ago, Block Breaks likely looked similar. Christian Clay ‘88 wrote in the Block Plan’s 50th anniversary story feature that “though few might admit it publicly, block breaks are rad!* (*a word we used to use at the time!).”
Often, resting during breaks feels like an afterthought. I would be missing out on some adventure or not living up to the whole CC experience if I stayed on campus.
However, our last Block Break became one of my favorite breaks yet. I spent most of the weekend with my two closest friends, rotting, debriefing the past Block and enjoying wine nights together. By our first day of break, our only plans were to ski at Winter Park on Friday. We took our break day by day. We slept in. I deep-cleaned my apartment. We watched movies, played games and ate yummy food. We had minimal plans and time to kill, and luckily, a couple of other junior friend groups stayed back too.
I was surrounded by pleasant company and there truly wasn’t anywhere else I wanted to be. Even after the Battle for the Gold Pan game on Saturday, Nov. 15 and a late post-hockey game night at Tony’s, I woke up on Sunday well rested. I genuinely felt ready for the first day of this Block, a welcome surprise compared to previous breaks.
During a typical week, I’m in and out of meetings, work, Catalyst Publishing Days and other commitments. I fill my calendar to the brim, constantly walking from one side of campus to the other. I have a hard time doing nothing and start to go crazy over breaks. I love being busy and the Block Plan perfectly supplements my need to do something all the time. I battle my burnout by not giving myself time to rest or realize how exhausted I am. And most of the time, it works.
This spring, the National College Health Assessment (NCHA) reported that 50.9% of surveyed undergraduate students had experienced moderate stress levels in the past 30 days, with another 25.3% reporting high stress levels. In 2023, Handshake revealed that four out of five college seniors had experienced burnout as an undergrad, suffering from “chronic exhaustion [sic] and lack of motivation.”
We live in a goal-oriented society, which journalist Holly Williams claims forces us to believe that “every hour and minute of our time should be put to good use – if not at work, then in self-improvement.” Time is money and at CC, time is one of our most valuable assets.
Williams argues that instead of focusing on constantly striving to check every item off of our to-do list, we should learn to “ditch perfectionism and completism.” To learn to live a more balanced and healthy life, we should become familiar with intentionally not doing anything.
So, stay on campus for a break. Leave your calendar open. Sleep in. Hang out with your friends and take time to enjoy their company. Skip posting on social media at the end of break. Do nothing for five days.
You may just like it.