The pandemic time has blurred the boundaries in life. There is just one screen to do everything- for online classes, connecting with friends, coaching classes, and taking a break to watch a movie or series. The one screen has become the best of friends and the worst of the enemy. The same space wherein we got to be a student, a son/daughter, brother/sister, and a friend. No change of environment- all roles are defined in a single space.
Is it easy to live a life like this?
Not at all. The world has completely changed.
Is it easy to strike a balance between study and life?
No, it is not. We have adapted but it is not an easy transition.
How are you really doing?
No matter how many motivational talks or books we read, there are no easy answers to maintain a balance between study and life. It is not easy to study from home, continuously surrounded by all distractions and not being able to simply go out to take a break. At times, it is okay not to feel okay…..
Tips to Balancing Study with Life
As famously said, “Every challenge is an opportunity”, here are 11 tips to maintain a balance between one’s study and life.
1. The Boundary Between One’s Study Self and Personal Self
When I talk about myself, there are many “selves” that I live in. One is my study self, wherein I am a student dedicatedly reading books, engaging in online classes, and doing my homework. The other is my personal self where I am enjoying time with my family and friends or pursuing a hobby. It is essential to maintain a distance between these selves to have a healthy balance. Studying for long hours is not healthy, the idea is to study efficiently.
2. Let’s eustress, not distress. Are all kinds of stress bad for us?
Stress is not always a bad thing. Stress is our body’s response to change. Dr. Lazarus, a psychologist mentioned that eustress is a kind of positive stress whereas distress is a kind of negative stress.
Hans Selye, a pioneer in stress research, explained how our performance level increases with stress in our environment. Some stress motivates us to give optimal performance. If the stress further increases then, it becomes distress. This can lead to exhaustion and breakdown. It is important to realize that to strike a balance between study and life, let’s take on some stress to improve our performance. If stress is too much then, let’s take a break.
3. Let’s adapt to the latest trends in education
With digital technology being adapted in education, times are rapidly changing. It is important to upskill oneself with online courses from MOOCs, take up our digital responsibility and learn the essential skills required in the present time. To know more about it, check out the article on trends in education-
Recommended Read: Changing Trends in Education
4. Learn from diverse resources
Adapt a variety of study sources – Learn from study videos along with books, Make mind maps, written notes, listen to podcasts, and build electronic flashcards. You can make an online group study with friends and connect on video calls to study together. Create a study song to memorize what you study- Let us be creative while creating a balance!
5. Adapt various study techniques
There are various scientifically researched methods that can be applied to study efficiently. Few ways to improve your memory are-
Chunking
It refers to taking individual pieces of information and grouping them together. You can break your study plan into chunks of time. For example, study for 20-25 minutes and then take a 5 minutes break. Gradually increase the time interval.
Use Mnemonic Devices
Mnemonics are ways to memorize concepts wherein a piece of new information is associated with letters, numbers, or any relatable information. For example, to remember 7 coordinating conjunctions For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, and So, we can create a mnemonic FANBOYS.
6. Switch off the social media for sometime in a day
Social media can be addictive and difficult to leave. There is continuous engagement either on WhatsApp, Instagram, Snapchat. Facebook, or an online game. Too many distractions! Research studies indicate a high risk of depression and anxiety amongst people who use social media on a regular basis. To maintain a balance in study and life, it is important to switch off oneself from social media platforms for some time in a day.
7. Maintain a healthy lifestyle
A nutritious diet, regular exercise, and a mental wellness break are essential to maintain a healthy lifestyle. A healthy diet improves one’s cognition, concentration, and energy levels. Sleep helps in the consolidation of memory which aids our learning and memory. Sleep deprivation leads to a decreased concentration levels and less efficiency.
8. Not setting ourselves to impossible standards – Am I a perfectionist?
It is good to want to do the best you can. It is not ideal to always expect a perfect result while putting in the effort to study. Some students procrastinate and do not even start the work in the fear of not making it perfect. For the others, it may be putting in more than the required effort, even sacrificing their mental health to produce the perfect work. To maintain a study-life balance, do not fall into the trap of perfectionism.
9. Maintaining a routine week by week
Try to maintain a schedule wherein you divide your day into 4 hours of time slots. Decide what you want to do in the given 4 hours and achieve the target. Follow a dedicated time schedule to wake up, do the work, take a break, and sleep. Maintaining a routine helps you tune in to the daily tasks and activities required to achieve your goals. Maintaining a self journal to write down your daily achieved tasks and planning for the next day can be helpful.
10. Fun while studying – Let’s enjoy!
Let’s create a quiz to study historical facts, a drawing of the human body to understand biological concepts, or funny quotes to remember the complicated information in physics. The idea is to enjoy studying rather than make it a burden. It can be as interesting as you can imagine, learning so many novel ideas each day.
11. Plan a career roadmap
Career planning is an important aspect of maintaining a balance between study and life. What is my next plan? Planning ahead gives us time to be aware of many career options and decide upon which one is best suited for us. Am I aware of the various career options? Have I decided what career domain interests me? The following link describes the top 23 courses to pursue after the 12th class –
Recommended Read: Top 23 Best Courses to Pursue after 12th Standard
Conclusion
Once we finalize our career options, it is important to adopt a scientific approach to planning our careers. The first step in taking up Mindler’s psychometric assessment which gives a holistic career report with your orientation style, interest, personality, aptitude, and emotional quotient. The next step is to connect with career coaches to know the most suitable career options and the path to follow in order to achieve your dreams. So, avail of our career counselling services now.
