Finding balance is key for your relationships with your family and friends and for your relationship with yourself. It can be overwhelming having a full-time job and a family to go home to and take care of after the day is done; or a long school day with a backpack full of homework and a sport or club every day of the week. The balance of it all can seem impossible. Some ways of balancing these responsibilities and relationships are self-care, learning how to say no, and creating a good schedule or routine.
Self-care should be fundamental in every aspect of your life. It is meant to improve your self-esteem and worth, and overall physical and mental well-being. This means we put ourselves first. Oftentimes people hear that and think that's being selfish. But that's not the case at all. Have you ever heard the saying, “first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.” Well, you can use the same concept when learning how to use self-care. First, we need to take care of ourselves (the log) before we can think about taking care of other people (the speck).
Some practical examples of self-care throughout your day are…
- Take breaks!
- Eat every meal!
- Drink water!
- Ask for help!
- Get a good night’s sleep!
- Count your blessings!
- Do something you love!
Learning how to say “no” is vitally important in keeping a healthy balance of your work and life. It’s difficult when you want to be a part of all the activities but already have a full schedule. Sometimes we need to prioritize certain things that need to get done and say no to the other stuff. If there is a new club at school but you already have a full schedule, do you join the new club and say no to something on your schedule, or do you say no to the new club to maintain the schedule you already have? Remember, you can’t always do it all. Often prioritizing rest and your social life is more important than taking that one extra shift or joining one more club.
This leads to the next point of maintaining a good schedule and routine. All day, everyday we are making decisions, big and small. That's why staying organized is so important. You can reduce the stress of that decision making process by figuring it out ahead of time. When your day ahead is already planned out there's no need to stress about it overnight. Believe it or not, if you're not sleeping, a routine might fix that too.
If you're not sure how to make a daily schedule here are some tips…
Write tomorrow's plan tonight!
Prioritize the most important things you need to do!
Make sure to add some breaks in there! (self care)
Add physical activities! (it's good to get the body moving)
Add an affirmation at the top of the page! (“you got this!, so proud of you!”)
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