So many books to study, so many parties to go to, so many bills to pay and not enough hours in a day to accomplish it all. Sound familiar?
This kind of schedule is detrimental for your mental and physical wellbeing and can lead to inadequate sleep.
“New research links sleep deprivation to a large number of automobile and other accidents. Moreover, chronically sleep-deprived people are at a higher risk for poor memories, mental illnesses, obesity, cardiovascular disease and early death,” says Marcia Clemmitt of CQ Researcher.
According to Dr. Brian Licuanan, a Psychologist at the Moorpark College health center, “Finding a way to balance out school, work, and home life is a good way for students to being coping with a stressful workload.”
Smart time management can turn an overwhelming schedule into a workable load and can create a well-rounded student.
Unfortunately, trying to balance out activities doesn’t always mean you will have equal time for all of them. “Prioritizing, reevaluating and looking at you situation, then seeking guidance from areas such as an academic counselor or the counseling department in the health center are ways to get onto a path to manage your stress.” stated Licuanan.
But I believe there is more to that. I think you must keep in mind that pleasure, fun and sleep are just as important as school and work, and are necessary for the total wellbeing of self.
In order to achieve your goals in school it is necessary to relax your mind; give it a break in the form of a party, a walk in the park or quality time with a boy/girlfriend.
“Balancing life is important, but it’s just as important to have fun,” continues Licuanan. “Activities like exercising, spending time with friends, and relaxing are good ways to take your mind off stress.”
Mark Twain once said, “I’ve never let school interfere with my education.” The classroom is only one place to learn skills. But just as important is social interaction at parties, family gatherings, or the workplace.
Social skills, a major essential in every facet of life, are learned by interacting with a variety of people within a multitude of activities. School can be abstract; expressing ideas without references to people or things.
Book learning is often very different from experiences in the social scene or workplace. What good is an education if it can’t be applied to furthering society? What good is having all of the world’s knowledge if you can’t communicate it?
In my opinion, life itself is the greatest educator. So go out and live it!
