TURNING POINT

This is the one time of the year when students are most clearly at differing turning points in their academic year. Students are either finishing a winter term, taking off at the starting gun for the Spring Session sprint, or gearing up for the last weeks before high school finals.

First, kudos to those who have wrapped the winter term. You have checked to make sure you have been credited with all work done, have thanked those you intend to thank, and are geared up for summer work, fun, and sun. And that very important last task of the term—that reward you promised yourself. If you haven’t taken it, make it one of your top five priorities for the coming week! You wouldn’t cheat your best friend on a deal, and now that best friend is you. So enjoy—and see you this fall!

Now for those of you who are coming up to intense academia. Whether you are a Grade Twelve student with Finals in a few weeks or are facing the six-week spring crunch, you will be heavily into scheduling, studying, and completing projects. You’ll have the added complexities of family, maybe planning grad, maybe a part-time job—in other words, juggling. You’re balancing everything!

Balance? What’s that? I know one student whose idea of balance is to cram for six weeks, then collapse for three. Her grades are straight A’s, and she has two autoimmune diseases that flare every time she completes a term. Over the years, she’s been able to take fewer and fewer courses each term. But they’re all A’s. And her flares are getting worse.

Yes, that’s balance. You could do that, but over the long term, your academic success and your success and joy in life overall are more likely to be punctuated by less- than-thrilling results.

So how can you work toward an even balance during the next six to eight weeks? Identify what brings you pleasure, what  lifts you up—and schedule bits of that joy into each day. Not as the reinforcers or rewards that are good to build into your project management, but just bits that you will enjoy because . . . you don’t have to have a because here!

For some people this will be a tea break. For others, meditation. Or playing with the dog. Or a daily walk. Or window shopping while taking a different route home. 

For some. balance is achieved by having a project that is independent of school, as long as it isn’t another major source of performance stress.

I’m leaving you with that perspective at this turning point between the winter term and spring. Plan and live a good balance.It will keep  you from going off the deep end!

Connect with me to plan for a successful spring session or for your last push to finals. We may even spend a bit of time brainstorming about realistic balance during a heavy academic load: [email protected]

The information in this blog cannot take the place of support from your own mental health professional or community health resources.Reach out to them. And IF YOU ARE IN CRISIS, PLEASE DIAL 911.