School and sports are in full swing now. School, studying, practices, trainings, games, travel and work leaves little room for anything else. Full, long days can make it hard for students and student-athletes to balance academics, sports, and/or work. But, finding balance is important for success. Lack of balance can have an impact on your mental health, performance in your sport as well as the classroom, and your physical health too! You can become more anxious, even depressed, and constantly feel like nothing is ever being accomplished. Are you already feeling like everything is just too much?
Then, this is for you! Here are 5 tips to achieve a healthy harmonious balance between school, sports, work, and life.
SET BOUNDARIES
Establish clear boundaries between school, sports, work, and your personal life. Effective boundaries help you balance time and energy spent on school work and studying, sports, work, and life. Not all hours can be set by you, like school, work, practices, and games. But, setting specific hours for what you can control, like study time, trainings, free time, etc., is crucial to finding balance in your life. Boundaries give you a clear beginning and a clear end.
UNPLUG
Turn it off, unplug, block, mute your cell phone, laptop, tablet, computer, etc. Yes, it can be done! Even 15 minutes of no screen time can make a huge difference! That 15 minutes can be spent meditating, reading, writing, doing a puzzle, or nothing at all.
PRIORITIZE SELF-CARE
Taking time for yourself cannot be stressed enough! Self-care can take on many forms: long walks, reading, playing a game, doing a puzzle, taking a nap, getting a massage, going to a movie, hanging with your friends, or doing nothing at all. Self-care for one may not look like self-care for another. No matter what it looks like, your self-care should help you relax and take your mind off of “things” for a little while.
SPEND TIME WITH OTHERS
With so many responsibilities, you can find yourself feeling alone and isolated, despite the fact you may be constantly surrounded by people. That’s because they are not your family, friends, or that special someone in your life! It’s important to carve out quality time with them. And when you do, be in the moment. Don’t think about your next test, practice, etc.
ASK FOR HELP
Don’t be so independent that you can’t ask for help! Don’t be so prideful that you can’t admit there is something wrong. There is absolutely nothing wrong with needing a helping hand. Asking for help can look like a lot of different things, but whatever it is, don’t be afraid to ask!
Your life as a student and student-athlete is full of responsibilities, and can be crazy, chaotic, frustrating, and more. It can also be rewarding, fun, and fulfilling! It comes down to how you choose to balance school, sports, work, and life. My prayer is that you choose to actively apply these five tips and find your balance.
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