Maintaining Life Balance

In the midst of all your responsibilities, you need to treat yourself well so that you can keep going in a healthy, balanced way. Take a look below to see what you’re doing well and what areas might need more attention…

Get Enough Sleep. Not getting enough sleep catches up with you, making you sluggish, prone to germs and forgetful, while also slowing down your response time. Try to go to bed around the same time each night and get up about the same time in the morning. A sleep schedule can help you all the way around.

Eat Healthfully. You know the drill… water, multiple servings of fruits and veggies, protein and grains mixed healthfully fuel your body. Too much caffeine, sugar, salt or fatty foods slow you down and sludge up your body. Find that balance.

Say “No.” You don’t have to say “yes” whenever you’re asked to do something, no matter what your role(s) in life. Recognize when you’re over your head so that you don’t overextend yourself. And trust that people will still respect and admire you, even though you may sometimes have to say “no.”

Talk Things Out. Yes, people may come to you to talk through their problems because you’re such a good listener. Yet, you need to be able to unload, too. Find friends and also consider talking with someone in the counseling center when you need to work things through. That’s what they’re there for!

Take Breaks. Build in time for yourself, whether it’s to work out, veg out or space out. You need this time to replenish yourself and keep your schedule from overtaking your life.

Move Around. Determine your exercise methods of choice and make them part of your weekly routine. Take a walk with a friend, ride your bike, work out in the wellness center, do yoga with friends in your residence hall… just move around and get your heart pumping.

Make Time for Friends. We all need those connections to stay on an even keel. Our friends are the ones who keep us grounded, interested, enthusiastic and engaged. So, make time for these important folks in your life – it’ll be good for everyone involved!

You deserve to feel balanced and healthy – plus, the healthier you are, the more effective you’ll be. 

Getting Organized

When your stuff is in order, it’s much easier to feel balanced overall. So:

• Put all your academic materials in one place, whether it’s a folder, binder, file cabinet or certain desk drawer, so you can find them easily.
• Keep your desktop clear so it’s available whenever you have a school, work or personal project that you need to dig into.
• Organize your email and computer files so your monitor isn’t littered with icon overload.
• Put things away when you’re done with them. Chances are that your space is limited, so put things in their place to avoid clutter.

There’s a saying that “Stuff steals time.” So, keep your stuff in order.

Manage Your Time

• Wear a watch
• Put commitments into your calendar system
• Know when your “good times” of the day are
• Don’t overbook
• Study in between tasks
• Try to be early
• Respect others’ time

Copyright 2011. Prepared for our institution by PaperClip Communications. www.paper-clip.com