A day consists of 24 hours, and while that should suffice us, we’re constantly feeling like we’re running on a time limit. In this 24 hour time frame we already spend an average of 7-8 hours sleeping, and while we are awake we’re either working, studying, or going to school. The majority of the world works 5 whole days in this routine, not to mention extracurriculars, side jobs, or certain responsibilities. But we keep pushing to get to the 72 hour weekend. The weekend that feels like Saturday and half of Friday since when Sunday hits, we’re already dreading Monday.

Balancing an academic and social life can be exhausting as a student, leading to a lack of motivation. Throughout the day, I run into many challenging situations, testing my mental and physical capacity. Every aspect of school consumes my thoughts throughout the day. While I may look calm on the outside with when talking with friends or classmates, I find my brain running around thinking about a certain test or assignment. Most of the time, these lead to frequent burnouts.

To Live In the Moment

To “Live in the moment” is such a simple phrase that we always hear, but to really take action on it takes more than we think. As humans, a big struggle we deal with is overthinking. If it’s not overthinking about the past, it’s the future. Your mind is always in an endless loop of not living in the present. When I discovered this fact about myself, it really did change my perspective on everyday struggles. I realized that we have a choice to choose what we think, and how your thoughts follow your actions. I started just focusing on whatever I was supposed to be doing in the moment. Life becomes so much more vivid and memorable if I started to enjoy every second of it. This new mentality allowed me to tackle my school life in a more positive way.

As a way to escape from my school life and studies, I look to my creative outlets. When I let myself indulge in my hobbies or interests, that’s when I feel my energy recharging. Playing tennis allows me to deal with my stress better, and although it takes up a bit of time, I always feel great after practicing due to the natural endorphins that are released. Music has always been a source of escape for me. My all time favorite song has been “The Spins” by Mac Miller, I always turn it on whenever I’m feeling down since I correlate that song with summertime memories. My favorite music artists are The Neighborhood, Joji, and Wallows. Aside from music, I love discovering and binge watching new shows on Netflix. Film and movies are always so comforting to me and I love how I always get so sucked into it. Recently, I watched a kdrama in August called Twenty Five Twenty One. This show moved me in the best way possible, and I fell in love with each of the characters. Whenever my motivation fails me and I find myself in a slump, these shows and music always gets me through it.

And although it’s difficult to balance school and my personal life, I try to find the joy in every activity since I know high school doesn’t last forever. The routine of school, classes, tennis, and being a teenager is something I’m going to miss in a couple years, so keeping that in mind changes my perspective. As I said before, living in the moment is something that will allow me to appreciate experience I face, whether it be negative or positive. In the midst of all the chaos and daily struggles in my life, I look towards my passions and hobbies to get through them.

“Be more involved with life & less attached to it. -Ram Dass”