College can be super stressful. Trying to balance a healthy lifestyle with making good grades and maintaining friendships can be challenging. It's taken me until my junior year to even somewhat figure out how to balance it all. It may seem impossible now, but I guarantee these tips will help.
Use A Calendar
It can be cute or plain, just make sure it's functional. I never thought I'd be one of those people to write down everything onto a calendar, but it actually does help. I like to look at my class syllabuses and find the tentative schedule. Then I write down all the activities and assignments for that class in a certain color on my calendar and repeat this until I've gotten every class taken care of. I'm a very visual person, so this really helps me be able to see what's going on, that way I don't have any surprise assignments or tests.
Buy A Planner
I got my planner from the dollar isle at Target, but you can always get a fancy one if that's what you prefer. I use my calendar to help me fill in my planner. I look at when all of my assignments for the week and find out when they are due. Based on that, I plan out what I need to study or what homework I need to do that day. It helps me to stay on task and it feels great to mark things out when I've accomplished them.
Allow Room For Spontaneity
I know how hard it is to make room for everything, especially when you've got every day planned out exactly how you want it, but it is important to plan for the unexpected. So many times, I've been working on homework because I've got a deadline coming up, and a friend has texted me to see if I want to go have dinner. I usually say yes. Since I do have all of my days planned out, it makes it a lot easier to move some things around. This takes a load of stress off of me by knowing that I have time for my friends even if it wasn't exactly planned that way.
Give Yourself Breaks
The last thing I want to do when I know I've got a deadline coming up is take a break, but it really does help. Sometimes my breaks are just taking ten minutes to scroll through Facebook, and sometimes they're hour-long breaks because I really need to see what happens in the next episode of Parenthood. Giving yourself breaks allows you time to focus on something other than what you have to do. It helps me manage my stress and when my break is over I'm ready to jump back into studying.
Schedule A "Free Day"
Once or twice a week, depending on my schedule, I like to give myself a day to relax. On that day, I don't worry about homework or studying because I planned accordingly to give myself this break. "Free days" are a time to relax and enjoy time with friends and family, and having a free day helps me to feel good about taking time for myself without worrying that I'm not spending enough time on my homework.
Remember that it's important to do well in school, but it's more important to take care of yourself. These tips have helped me manage my stress, and I hope they can help you too. So sit down with your cup of coffee or tea, fill in your calendar and planner, and relax because you know you've got it all covered.
"I can do all things in Christ who strengthens me" Philippians 4:13
