PTS(b)D: Post Traumatic Spring Break Disorder by Lexie Dache

It was the best of times; it was the worst of times.

It was time to rejoin the ranks of Liberty University post spring break.

For some students, returning to school is a relief, an upgrade from spring break’s required 6 am wake-up calls for education practicums, or others who couldn’t escape the cheek pinching from extended relatives and nosy…. I mean sweet, elderly church women.

For other students, unpacking their freshly laundered clothes and climbing into their extra long twin dorm bed is accompanied with an unsettled heart.

Greeting the return of girls on my dorm is one of my absolute favorite things. I don’t need to keep my door open, because the shrieks of girls reuniting can be heard from across campus. But this past week, I noticed the large number of students who met my excited squeal with a faint smile.

It would be silly to expect everyone to be excited on their return to school, because honestly, who really gets excited about returning to papers, lectures, and labs? But as I caught up with different girls, I was reminded just how diverse Liberty really is, and how deep the struggles of my peers run.

I saw firsthand the look of grief on a girl’s face, after she got to spend the week with her boyfriend. Their time together was followed by a face-to-face goodbye which will endure for a very long 7 to 8 months. Another friend shared of family struggles, frustrated about arguments that never seem to die over time, each visit home only seems to rip the band-aid off now-ancient wounds. Other stories included funerals, hospital visits, bad news about old friends, or another week of unfruitful job applications.

We come back from spring break, expecting to be revived and refreshed, our strength restored, ready to take on the 2^nd half of the 2^nd semester. It’s the home stretch, after all, and a strong sprint should be enough to finish us out. However, for some, it takes all the strength just to show up. While that might be the most exhausting thing, it can also be the most refreshing—if one is willing to be honest about their condition.

I’ve found that at Liberty, brokenness is not considered a dysfunction or disease.

But that doesn’t make opening up about pain easy.

Luckily, at Liberty I’ve also found that empathy is contagious…. but it has to start somewhere.

If you’re reading this, I want to encourage you to look around, search for those who returned from spring break without the same glow that existed before. If you see a friend struggling in this final lap of the academic year, reach out. Remind them of the Biblical truths that we can stand on, secure in all power, while simultaneously falling down and acknowledging our desperate and utter weakness.

For those who are weary, I would encourage you to reach out as well. It’s okay to be honest, and to answer your roommate’s “How was your spring break?” with more openness. Although we spent spring break separately, we still have these 8 weeks together. Don’t miss out on an opportunity to either stretch your spiritual muscles by supporting a friend, but also don’t fool yourself into thinking you were meant to carry this weight alone.

“Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ… Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.”

Galatians 6:2,10