Balancing Life

Submitted by Alivia Olson, First Vice-President

Do you feel like there are a million things to do and no time to do it? Surprise, you are not alone! Oftentimes, life throws a little more at us than what we feel we can manage. There have likely been days where you were busy doing something with your FCCLA Chapter while worrying about all the homework you had. Mix in other activities, school, work, family, friends, relationships, hobbies, sleep, self care, etc., and you have yourself a handful. The SOT knows a thing or two about being busy, so we decided to share what we’ve learned! After presenting our “Balancing Life” presentation at NFC in 2022, we received a ton of great feedback and compiled our best tips for you all.

You cannot short yourself of your needs.
This includes sleep, food, self care, personal hygiene, and family/friend time. You can probably think of a few other things you consider personal needs as well. No matter how busy life gets, these things must remain a priority. Without meeting those needs, the rest of your tasks cannot be completed well. How much attention do you pay in school after a night where you only got a few hours of sleep? How good of a friend are you when you haven’t had any alone time? How fun are your activities when you are hungry? If you want to complete your tasks to the best of your ability, you cannot ignore your basic needs!

Realize you simply cannot do everything.
As much as you try, it is impossible to give everything 100%. That is why prioritization is so important. Make a physical list of the things you absolutely must do and the things you really want to do. You may find that you are doing things that do not fall on that list. For example, if you are on the basketball team but don’t enjoy playing basketball, really consider why you are doing it. You may find it is doing you more harm than good! In that case, consider prioritizing something else in your life, like your sleep schedule.

Understand that imperfection is inevitable.
There are simply too many things going on in your life to try to do everything perfectly. You will just end up wasting your time and energy. Now, this does not mean stop trying. Instead, it means knowing your limits. If you have studied for your test for three hours already, call it a night and get some rest for your test day. While it may not feel like you gave it everything you had, your physical and mental health will be far better off!

All of this sounds great, but it is far easier said than done. The SOT understands this, and we all have a long way to go in our efforts to balance our lives. So don’t get discouraged if you can’t seem to change your life in a day, this is a process that takes years to figure out. In the meantime, don’t forget to take care of yourself. 🙂