Achieving the Balance

Life’s a rush. Bits and pieces here and there. The due dates literally come knocking on your door in a blink of an eye. I admit that I’ve struggled to manage my time and deal with the stress of A levels and the university process with UCAS, especially since our pinboards are smothered in To-do lists, due dates, and upcoming school and social events. But I think I’ve cracked the code…

So, here are some tips of how I’ve balanced my lifestyle with the mayhem of studying and UCAS:

• SLEEP!

Yes! I cannot stress this point enough! Sleep is soooooooo important when it comes to feeling energised and motivated to study. The best time to sleep is between 8 – 10 pm. Give yourself some time to wind down at least an hour or so before, put your phone on charge and take some time to connect with your surroundings. My eyes are usually glued to the screen of my laptop or phone, as I write essays and scroll through social media, so a break from the electronics is always nice. Occasionally I like to take a warm bubble bath, which is an instant eject button to dream town. As well as drinking warm lemon water or chamomile tea. Finally, I like to journal down a reflection of my day and drift off to sleep.

• DIET!

This is another point I can’t stress enough too! Stress eating will literally be the end of me, especially with all the stress of writing up personal statements and studying for tests. I’m a sucker for sugary and salty foods and I hate it! I’ve slowly started cutting down on the junk by swapping some pieces of junk for a healthier alternative, like swapping chocolate, gummy sweets for bananas, dried fruit, yoghurt (you get the idea). It’s a long process which will require full dedication, but don’t be scared. You can do it. I’ll soon dive deep into this point in a future post, so stay notified!

• TIME!

What would the world be like if time never existed? We’d all be living in the moment, and that’s crucial when you’re taking breaks from studying and before sleeping. Mindfulness. A beautiful state of mind which I’m still learning to achieve (talking about this will drag, I’ll talk more about it in another post). Time managment too is vital, when achieving the balance in life. Studying in 30 minute intervals and taking 5-10 minute breaks is the best combination. If not then an hours worth of studying with a 30 minute break also works. Play around with the balance between your study sessions and break times. Once its achieved you’re basically unstoppable. 

• EXCERSIZE!

Work out. Come on don’t be lazy, its totally worth it. I use the app, “workoutwomen”, (sounds cringy I know) but its the best. It categorises all sorts of workouts and stretches, just a quick tap and TA DA! You’ve got a workout waiting for you. I use this app everyday in the gym and it really has saved me from having a hunch from working 24/7. Excersizing between 10 – 30 minutes is enough and it will help you stay active and not feel exhausted by all the stress eating too! Since school starts at 7:25am here, I don’t have any time to gym in the morning so I’ll gym at school or afterwards. If I’m feeling lazy then I’ll do a stretch workout at home which makes a BIG difference too.

• BE ORGANISED!

We’ve probably all got random bits of stationary under our bed or in the back of our wardrobes and drawers. Get it out and start using it! Organise subjects in topics and exam practise. It’s going to be so helpful when it comes to revision for exams. (I’ll soon make a post on revision and organisation techniques based on my A levels.)

• CREATIVITY!

Paint! Draw! Do something creative! It’s a blast, it’s a hobby. Whenever I’m over stressed or just blatantly bored, I’ll pull out the sketch pad, pencil to paper and off I go. Recently I’ve started experimenting with other mediums of art. I’m currently using cardboard to paint on, combining the thick past of colour with the bumpy ridges of the cardboard. It’s calming , it’s satisfying. A piece a day or every so often (whenever you have a small window of free time really). Trust me it will benefit you. 

• AROMATHERAPY!

Like yoga, meditation and music, this is also a form of “letting go of reality”.  Buy a candle with a natural scent. A scent that calms you down and helps you to feel at peace. My current and favourite candle (and in general skin care brand) is Rituals and Body shop. The candle I use is “The Ritual of DAO”, White Lotus and Yi Yi Ren. The aroma is amazinggggg and blissfully carries me to my happy place. Only issue is, that it’s quite pricey so a candle or aromatherapy kit from the Body shop, is just as good. Totally recommend it as a de-stress mechanism before going to bed or just to wind down.

• AND FINALLY…NETFLIX!

I think most of my time is lost watching Netflix shows, but watching a 20 minute episode whilst cleaning my room or just enjoying the story line alone, is a nice way to sort of distract yourself from the workload and stress. I tend to watch an episode during my breaks and then I’ll come up stairs to continue working. Don’t abuse it though! Watch one episode and then work, you can repeat the cycle.

I hope some of these tips were of any help, and if you guys have any questions let me know in the comments below or reach out to me by email. Thank You! XXX