The line between school and home life can sometimes blur together. Focusing on school is good, but it doesn’t have to necessarily take over you entirely. Setting boundaries between the two is important to achieving positive mental health and can help prevent issues like stress, anxiety, and depression.
How to keep a well-balanced life
1. Set goals and manage your time well
The key to having a good hold over your time and being able to devote time to activities outside of school lies in your ability to know what you’re aiming for in the long-term. Take the time to reflect on your schoolwork, your subjects and your goals. What is your ultimate aim of doing well at school? Are you planning on graduating so you can work in the Big Four? Or do you want to work in research? The very act of visualising what you want to achieve in the future fires you up and keeps you focused.
This way, you avoid squandering your time and procrastinating on completing assignments. Instead, you are keenly aware of how you spend your time and can work towards planning it well. Write out your goals and place them in an area of your room that is highly visible. Create to-do lists and plans at the beginning of each week and prioritise your list of tasks. It also helps to eliminate distractions and to devise smart study strategies like working not just hard but smart.
2. Establish boundaries
It’s important to live a balanced life where you dedicate the same amount of time and energy towards different aspects, such as schoolwork, hobbies and friends. Planning your schedule ahead of time and dedicating blocks of time to the different activities allows you to establish boundaries clearly. Another way to establish boundaries is to create a physical environment that is dedicated to learning and studying. The physical demarcation makes it easier for your mind to separate work and play.
3. Practise self-care
Self-care is the act of tending to your physical, mental and emotional needs. No two individuals are fulfilled by the same things, and each individual has a unique set of needs. In first recognising what these needs are, you can take steps towards fulfilling them. There are several ways to look after your mental health, including being active, giving yourself adequate time to recharge and finding someone to hear you out.
By practising self-care, you increase motivation, self-esteem and positive feelings. In taking care of these needs, you can also adequately cope with the stressors of life, and when assignments cause you to feel anxious or overwhelmed, you’re in the right headspace to deal with them.
4. Cultivate a strong support system
A healthy support network can be a great source of encouragement and inspiration during times of crisis. Your friends and family members can be a huge source of encouragement and strength during times of struggle, and they can also be a great resource when you need advice. By reaching out to your course tutors, you can seek advice and practical solutions regarding balancing your work and personal life. They might be able to point you towards school resources or specific study strategies that aid your learning.
Achieve a balanced school and personal life with PSB Academy
It can be quite a balancing act, devoting sufficient time to both school and personal life. Sometimes one aspect of your life can demand too much attention, and this can drain your time and energy. It’s important to recognise when this happens and to take steps to rebalance.
PSB Academy’s school counsellors are always on hand to provide learning support and personal counselling. We strive to make your learning journey as conducive as possible. Speak to us now to learn more about our student care services.
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