Author: Aarushi
A big part of being a teen is dealing with high school. Although for most of us the school day is only six hours long, homework can add hours of work to your day. At the end of the day, no matter what you learn at school, whether it’s math, science or literature, it’s all about maintaining a balance.
I used to spend most of my time outside of school studying, stressing over upcoming projects or tests and worrying about university requirements. I quit painting, even though art has been one of my favorite hobbies ever since I was a little kid. I didn’t watch TV and I barely hung out with my friends. Despite spending all of my time focusing on school, the work never seemed to end. Then finally after struggling for quite some time, I was able to identify the problem. I was overloading my mind and body, so while I thought I was at my best I actually wasn’t. I started to force myself to take more breaks to go outside, workout, paint, read or talk to my friends.
Suddenly I started to feel a lot more energetic. Believe it or not, taking a break every now and then actually allowed me to finish my work a lot more effectively.
Here are 5 tips for how you too, can live a well-balanced life:
1. Take care of and nurture yourself.
You cannot accomplish anything if you’re in bad health. Get plenty of rest, exercise and eat properly. Set aside time each day for an activity that you enjoy.
2. Know what your priorities are.
Balance does not entail cramming in every activity possible. Examine your values and decide what’s important to you; then set your boundaries. Avoid becoming overwhelmed by juggling too many big projects in your life at once.
3. Create an efficient mindset.
Be organized and plan ahead. Take time at the beginning of each week to assess what needs to be done. To-do lists and calendars are essential!
4. Expect the unexpected.
Rather than getting stressed and upset, learn to roll with the punches when something over which you have no control happens. If you accept that anything can happen at any time, it’s less likely it throw you off your stride when it does. Be able to adjust your game plan.
5. Maintain a positive mental attitude.
Begin each day with the intention of making the best and most of it. It may not always go as planned, but it can go more smoothly if you put it in perspective.
