Finding Harmony: The Art of Balancing Life's Demands

 With balancing swimming, education, and growing up I did have my fair share of struggles mentally and I had to find a good way to stay mentally active and rested in order to push and perform on all fronts.

I have tried journaling to get my thoughts out but that didn't really stick with me because I never really took the time to sit down and write. However, I like to write down things I need to get done in a planner. I started doing this more and more in college when swimming and school were super busy. I noticed that often I would have so many thoughts floating around that I couldn't keep track of things that were due or things I had to get done. Writing those things down kept my head clearer and I did not have to worry as much about remembering because everything is written down on paper.

I have to say that the past year I've struggled the most mentally. This was because I changed schools and location and it was more difficult than I expected it to be. I used to be extremely busy in undergad with school and swimming when I got to graduate school, however, it was a lot different. I now only had two classes in the week and swimming. The classes were very similar to the ones I had already taken at Lindenwood so I felt like I wasn't learning anything the first half of the semester. Swimming was also not going well which just added to it. All of those factors combined made me struggle a lot.

What I like to do when I am feeling stressed or out of it is do things that allow me to focus on something else. I love to read. Reading just completely takes my thoughts away and allows me to focus on something else. I've also picked up puzzling more often. I've noticed that when I'm puzzling I can just get in the zone and fully relax.

Knowing that I have people I can reach out to whenever things get tough helps me a lot too. I sometimes feel bad because I text Leah with all my bullshit and she still always is there for me when I need it. What I love about our friendship, and what I believe a true friendship should consist of, is injective honesty. She always gives me her perspective and her true feelings toward a situation instead of trying to sugarcoat situations. This also allows me to think about the situation from a different perspective which can help a lot.

Everybody works differently and likes to do different things to get their thoughts in place. Definitely utilize whatever method you prefer. However, I do recommend finding at least one person in your life you can tell everything, knowing there is no judgment and only honesty.