Student Athletes: Our Best Tips for Helping You Maintain Balance in School
After three hours of warm-ups, intense conditioning, and practice plays, you’re understandably exhausted. You dream about a cozy bed made of marshmallows, but you still have to start your algebra homework and take notes on eukaryotic cells.
Student athletes in high school may find this scenario painfully familiar. Managing a hectic schedule can be tough. However, to thrive as a student-athlete, it’s important to establish balance in your life.
While it’s great to work towards your athletic goals, it’s crucial that you practice self-care too. You don’t have to pick one or the other—it’s possible to do both. In this blog, we’ll go over the steps you can take to find balance as a student-athlete.
Organize Your Schedule
When you’re assigned homework, write it down in a planner or calendar. By taking note of what you need to accomplish, you’ll be able to reference and remember your various tasks. Then, when you have spare time before practice or free time during class, you can get ahead in your homework.
Even better, you’ll avoid the dreadful possibility of an all-nighter. On this note, it’s helpful to write down due dates, so you can focus on assignments with the greatest urgency first.
A little planning goes a long way. For instance, is your Sunday packed to the brim because of an all-day soccer tournament? Now you’ll know to start writing that essay due Monday as soon as possible. Sometimes, you have to sacrifice leisure time to stay on top of your game. On the other hand, during a week with a lighter workload, you can direct energy towards spending time with family and friends.
Although you can outline your week with a traditional physical planner, great virtual resources like Google Calendar and Planner Pro are available as well. If planners aren’t your thing, you can create simple to-do lists in a notebook or the Notes app on your phone!
Choose Your Priorities
You’re awesome, hardworking, and intelligent. However, no one, not even you, has enough time and energy to do everything. With sports being such a big part of your life, 5 school clubs, intensive art classes, and 2 part-time jobs are a lot to have on your plate. Although you might add a couple of activities to your schedule, you won’t have time to be involved in them all—and that’s ok.
If you're currently struggling to manage your extracurricular activities, create a mental or physical list of your commitments. Then, rank them in order of importance to you. Evaluate your list—you may notice that an activity near the bottom is too time-consuming, given your school and sports schedules.
If an activity prevents you from having balance, consider taking a step back. Nothing is worth mental strain and inhibited happiness.
Take Care of Your Mind and Body
Most importantly, don’t put too much pressure on yourself. School is difficult enough without a busy athletic schedule, so it’s perfectly reasonable to make mistakes. Let’s say that you receive a test score that’s not up to your expectations. Or, you don't run as fast as you’d like to during practice.
Take a deep breath, and clear your negative thoughts. Smile instead. Tell yourself that tomorrow will be better. Meditating and listening to music are great ways to relax and reset your mind. Reach out to your close friends and family members for support if you feel overwhelmed.
As an athlete, you must remember to take care of your body too. Your body is your home, and you have to treat it with kindness. If you’re in pain, tell your coach or instructor, and take it easy. No one is immune to injuries, but resting your body ensures that they don’t worsen. Eating energy-filled snacks and drinking lots of water are simple but effective strategies to keep your body strong.
Final Thoughts on Maintaining Balance as a Student Athlete
We hope that you take some of these tips and apply them to your own life. Remember that balance is the key to positivity and growth. Now that you’ve considered our advice, you're ready to take on the world!
We applaud you for challenging yourself as a student-athlete. We recognize that playing sports comes with inevitable difficulties. However, we also know that you’re incredibly hardworking and passionate. We believe in you and see success in your future!
Ready to start applying to colleges, or learn about the scholarships that may be available to you as a student athlete? Sign up to work with a free college counselor through UPchieve now!