RISE, WASH, REPEAT! But instead, for student-athletes, the motto is, SLEEP, HOMEWORK, PRACTICE, HOMEWORK, SLEEP!
Being a student-athlete is one of the most challenging tasks for a college student. Between being on time for practices and getting your homework done, there doesn’t seem to be enough hours in the day. Oh yeah, and there is that thing called your social life that you must worry about. This is your guide to helping you prioritize your life and not forgetting to enjoy it simultaneously.
TIPS TO BALANCING STUDENT-ATHLETE LIFE:
FINDING TIME TO GET YOUR HOMEWORK DONE
As an athlete, it can be tough to find time to manage your homework load. Professors will not cut you some slack just because you have a big game coming up or maybe having a tough time at practice. It would be best if you prioritize your days. Here are a few tips to keep you on track:
Carry a planner
Writing done your schedule might be the best tactic for you. Using your planner for what homework assignment you must get done and using it to schedule times to do your homework, see what time you have practice, and fitting in other things you plan to do outside of the field and the classroom. Get a planner that can be useful by having time slots and lots of functional space to allow you to write a do-to list of each day!
Identify what’s important to you.
Let’s say games are not going the way you want them to go, and you end up not playing a lot of minutes, and you feel you need to stay in shape so you don’t lag behind your teammates who may be getting a lot of more minutes than you. By adding another time for you to work out, takes away time from your homework. But no worries! An easy way to fix this is to allow yourself time to do some extra work and limit your time. To stay on track, you could allow yourself a maximum of one hour to do your extra work and then get back on track with your homework.
Avoid outside sources that could be a distraction.
Time is no friend! When you finally can sit down and do your homework, you must be fully concentrated and committed to using your time wisely. Things like putting down your phone, going to a quiet area, maybe not studying with friends if that is going to be a factor to taking more time away from you when you are doing your work, or even saying no to a social event because you have an assignment due the following day.
Mental health is not emphasized enough in sports all around the world. As athletes, we are expected to be designed as superhumans, and the people around us have high expectations. Student-athletes are not supposed to fail classes. Student-athletes are not supposed to have a bad day at practice. Student-athletes are not allowed to have areas of life affect their practices. Student-athletes are not supposed to have tantrums when things are not going their way. WRONG! Student-athletes are humans who can’t control their emotions, just as a regular student might not be able to. If you ever feel like you need a mental day and you feel like your life is caving into you, try these techniques:
Get a good night’s rest.
Sleep is your friend! Especially when you have four classes and challenging practice the next day, and you have so much going on. Sometimes it is better to say to yourself that today was a rough day, and my head needs just to hit the pillow. By getting your beauty sleep, your body can charge up to tackle the next day in grand fashion.
Having activities outside of your sport
Your sport should not be the center of your world. If that’s the case, this can cause a massive burnout on you and the sport that you love so much. Activities such as yoga, getting your nails done, reading your favorite book, writing your favorites stories, going for a bike ride, the list could go on and on. Find what makes you happy outside of your athlete world and thrive with it. Having a life outside of all the craziness will keep your mental health in check. Trust me!
Manage Stress
When things feel like they are caving in and trapping you, that’s when you know it is a good time to breathe and step away from whatever you are doing at that time. Sometimes it is ok to stop what you’re doing and move on to something that will get you out of your head. Manage your stress by taking a deep breath and allowing your body to calm down. Stress can destroy you if you let it, and that’s when anxiety kicks in. Manage your focus before you feel like you cannot handle it anymore. Find what keeps you sane!
Have some “Me” Time
Whether it’s going to get a mani/Pedi or taking a nice relaxing bubble bath dedicating time for yourself should be the main priority. This is your chance to unplug from the world and focus on something that will make you relaxed and happy.
FINDING TIME TO TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF PHYSICALLY
By not taking care of yourself physically, your body can slowly shut down and cause a massive burnout. As an athlete, you want to make sure your body is in the best shape possible to practice every day. Here are a few tips to keep your body in the best condition possible:
Eat!!
As a student-athlete, you are constantly on the go. You don’t have time to make a five-star meal that takes a good hour to complete. You must think ahead and imagine your day and what times you must eat. It is good to get up and have a balanced breakfast full of protein that will help you tackle your classes with high energy. Even if it means getting up 30 minutes earlier to allow this to happen, you will also need a pre-practice snack. These you will have to pack with you when you leave in the morning to go straight to practice after your classes. As an athlete, skipping meals is not an option. Your body needs the fuel to be able to perform your best.
Rest is your friend!
There comes the point where you have to say to yourself you have done everything you can to prepare for that hard English test you have coming up or preparing for that big soccer game that has you worried. You will be 100% burnout if you don’t cherish your downtime. Not only does sleeping allow you to be fully refueled for the next day, but it helps to prevent you from injury. If you are exhausted on the field, you may not be in it thoroughly, and an injury could occur quickly. Even if you are not tired, laying down and watching your favorite move allows your body to rest.
FINDING TIME TO HAVE A SOCIAL LIFE
You only live once! It is ok to shut your computer off and go out for a night with your friends. As student-athletes, we feel as if we have the weight of the world on our shoulders, and sometimes we must remember that we are in college, and we will never get these years back. We want to look back in 10 years and say that yes, we played our hearts out on the field, but we also had the time of our lives off the field and out of the classroom. Remember that if you give it your all and get your important stuff out of the way, you can have so much more time to do things outside of your crazy student-athlete life!