By Rachel Aster | Observer Contributor
Maintaining a balanced lifestyle is something that is too often overlooked in a student’s life. Through years of trial and error, I have developed a method to balance full time work, school, and pleasure.
Working full time while focusing on school leaves no time for anything besides studying and homework assignments. It is exhausting trying to keep up with the workload of school and keep your mental health in check. According to a 2014 article in the Monitor on Psychology publication, with rising college enrollment came a rising number of students requesting psychological help from counseling centers.
According to the Center for Collegiate Mental Health, there was recently, a reported 8% increase in the number of students looking for mental health services over a 3-year time span. Depression, stress, and anxiety are on the rise. I believe this is caused by the pressure of society for students to succeed in college and the work force simultaneously.
I had missed so many family gatherings and events with my friends. I realized something had to change and I needed my free time back. I was depressed and always anxious to get through my work day so I could go home and do endless hours of homework. Weekends were full of missed events and lonely hours with my face in a book.
This is when I decided that my weekend freedom would be worth my crammed weekdays. I work full time as an Office Manager for a 3D printing company and have found that if I am upfront about my needs, they likely will work with me. I have been lucky to have the flexibility and strive for as many online courses as I can take. Online courses are for those who are strongly self-motivated.
A major part of my success is self-discipline and a structured schedule. For example, I get all my school work done for the week between Monday-Thursday. I usually wake up and go for my daily run followed by my 9-5 job at the office. Once I get home at 5:15 p.m it is all strictly school work; I study and do homework until about 10-11 p.m.
While the first 4 days of the week are hectic, the next 3 days are lax and carefree. I can keep up with household chores and see my family and friends from Friday to Sunday. I am going on two years of schooling like this and I can finally say that I never miss a thing.
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