How do you balance your life? Cause I suck at it

[istartedyoung]

Hey i was just wondering if any of you out there had any advice on balancing your life to keep the stress level down. The only thing I have been doing lately is my stuff for school cause I want to get in to Grad school so bad and I just have that much work (2 research projects +) anyway, ive been feeling pretty shitty cause I have gained weight over the past 2 semesters from no time to work out and in turn have felt kinda crappy about myself plus I feel like I have ABSOLUTELY NO TIME to go out or if I do I have no energy left.. its my last year in college and I wanna enjoy it without wrecking my chances at grad school by lowering my GPA.. I feel so unhealthy :googly:

[Phoenix]

This is just a small suggestion, but maybe it will help you in a way. Are you able to walk across campus instead of riding buses? Even though it's just a little bit of exercise, it may help clear your mind and refresh you.

Another way to look at the situation...if you DON'T take some sort of break and release stress, you won't be able to focus on your studies as well. Also, while it's important to you to get into grad school, it's also important to enjoy what is left of your college years so you don't look back with regret. Go out and make some fun memories that you can look back on.

[stonemonkey]

I'm with Phoenix. Sometimes you've gotta MAKE time to reset your mind/body. Spending an afternoon to recharge is worth it if it means avoiding a week of putting in a half-assed performance. Exercise helps, but there are other things you can do. Whatever it is that you enjoy and is unrelated to school stuff.

[GetMeOuttaDC]

make sure you are VERY certain that grad school is what you really want... what you really want changes a LOT your first couple years out of school! :)

you need to make you-time for the balance.

[Jedi of Zen]

'Totally agree with everyone here. What helps me keep things in perspective (well, sometimes it's kind of discouraging as well) is recognizing that our culture conventionally does not pay much creedence to the value of stress management and living life holistically. So sometimes you have to really go out of your way to make time to recharge. And done appropriately, it's always worth it.

[inuts]

What I do to keep stress level low is something a little different.

I mimic the young Don Vito in Godfather II. It is all negotiation. I know what I want and what I don't want, and I don't let anyone talk me out of what I want or into something I don't want. I stick to it. If something I did or made fails, I know I tried, and I figure something else out. When someone attacks me, I tell them what I did and why I did it, and I stick to it. They can continue criticizing me or what I did, but I don't budge. I know I did the best I could. I will not let them lord over me.

This is how I attack it, because for me, most stress is caused by my position relative to someone else's, and they abuse their power. Or it is caused by being 'out of control' of the situation, in which I try to concentrate and regain control. This is not to say I try to control life or other people--I simply mean that if something stresses me, I have to control it.

I hope this different perspective of mine helps.