Spring Break has come and gone, leaving in its wake a flurry of Instagram posts and memories of a wonderful week free of stress and endless assignments.

We’re in the final stretch, now, 24 weeks of the academic year down, and eight to go.

This should be comforting, but I get the sense that these last eight weeks will be the most brutal time of the year.

Bearing that in mind, I think it’s appropriate to reflect back on Spring Break.

From what I saw, lots of people traveled to various exotic locations.

Even my own sister went to Ireland for the break, leaving me behind in Baden, Pennsylvania.

Haven’t heard of it?

It’s pretty obscure.

The weather is lovely this time of year, 45 degrees and rainy!

It may sound like I’m bitter, but I’m not.

And while my Spring Break surely pales in comparison to the sun-drenched, no-filter exploits that have filled my Instagram feed, it had its benefits.

Allow me to make the case for a stay-cation by sharing my favorite parts of the break.

First off, there is the free time that comes with break.

I love traveling as much as anyone else, but being able to really relax over Spring Break is a beautiful thing.

Sleeping in, lounging in sweatpants all day and watching an absurd amount of Netflix?

Sounds good to me.

Speaking of Netflix, that brings me to my next point.

I know I have been severely lacking in opportunities to explore new shows and movies throughout the first half of the spring semester.

What better way is there to spend Spring Break than crossing some items off my watch list?

I watched almost all five seasons of “Schitt’s Creek” that are on Netflix.

I have to say, that was a pretty entertaining way to pass the time on the whole.

Finally, and most importantly, the best part of a Spring Break stay-cation is spending time with friends and family.

I know, I know, it sounds cliche.

But it was truly wonderful to eat a home-cooked meal and help my mom make a skillet cookie for dessert.

Of course, I also got to cuddle with my adorable golden retriever.

As an added bonus, my best friend came home for break a few days before I came back to Mercyhurst.

So we got to do two of our favorite things.

For one, we had dinner at Panera together.

We also went to see a movie, “Birds of Prey.”

Which, wow.

I could easily write another article about how much I loved that movie; it is that good.

I guess what I’m trying to say is, if you didn’t have the opportunity or ability to go all-out on a fancy Spring Break trip, there’s no shame in that.

Staying at home and relaxing can be just as enjoyable as vacationing, it’s a great way to recharge for the busy weeks ahead.

As long as you’re with people you love, doing what brings you joy, then even the most seemingly-boring place can become the perfect spring break destination.