KCLSU Positive Peers are always there for you, and for this Take Time In week they’ve teamed up together to bring you their best tips for a good work-life balance as a student. Take a deep breath and scroll down to know everything about it.

Feeling Overwhelmed?

By Manvi Shah

Workload can often pile up and leave you feeling like you don’t have control over what is happening. Here are some ways in which you can reclaim your life and feel healthier and happier!

• Manage stress by practising meditation, going for walks and exercising.
• Cut back on alcohol or caffeinated drinks (it makes you feel better in the long term).
• Remind yourself that you are great! Try to think positively and build up your self-esteem, this can help counteract that feeling of going into overdrive.
• Spend time with people you love. Not only can this help you cope but it can also provide an outlet for your thoughts and boost your overall happiness! 

Make Your Priorities Clear

By Sukhmani Bhakar

Something you can do to feel less stressed whilst consistently working towards your goals is to outline your priorities. Make your intentions or objectives clear; this can be done weekly, monthly, or at the start of each academic term. Your goals can include what you would like to achieve in certain modules, essay feedback to work on, meeting up with friends, exercising, or developing a new skill. 

Having a list of your time-specific priorities can provide clarity and help you feel less overwhelmed. As students, and particularly in the age of social media, it can feel as though there is a pressure to be doing a lot of things at once and to take part in every society. By keeping a list of priorities, you can easily remind yourself of the things that are most important to you and not get swept away by the culture of over-productivity. 

Prioritise, But Don’t Fixate

By Alex Blank

One of the dangers of having projects and passions you care about deeply is that they can absorb both the centre and the peripheries of your life. It is valuable to work towards something that’s important to you, but remember to always have other aspects of your life to lean on, such as interests, projects and people.

If something happens that disrupts the one thing you’ve dedicated yourself wholeheartedly to, you may feel discouraged and demotivated, that’s why it’s important to keep a balance and to always remember that you have something to fall back on. Maintaining this outlook can lower the pressure too, since you can be certain that no matter where your project will or will not lead you, you always have something to fall back on.

Take Time to Assess

By Joey Martinez

Make time every once in a while to pause and reflect on your life and how you’re feeling. Be honest with yourself and take note of the areas in your life that you’re neglecting. Maybe you’re too focused on assignments and university and haven’t hung out with friends in a while, or maybe you’ve stopped making time for your hobbies and are constantly helping others that you forget to take care of yourself. Everyone’s lifestyle is different, and establishing a balance will look different for every person, so don’t try to compare yourself to others; what works for them might not work for you. Finding balance is a constant process, so don’t be afraid to reassess if something feels like it isn’t working.

Have a look at how  KCLSU Positive Peers can help you and your peers here