Life Balance

Use these ideas to strike the right balance between responsibilities and relaxation.

Elizabeth W. Lee, M.D.

Palo Alto Medical Foundation

Many articles written for adults focus on the importance of a work-life balance. Although as a teen you may not be holding down a full-time job, you're probably still under a lot of pressure from daily responsibilities. School, extracurricular activities, sports, part-time jobs and responsibilities at home can cause life to feel like a juggling act.

If you feel stressed or overwhelmed, speak with the adults in your life. They may not realize how much pressure you're feeling to "get everything done." Talk to a parent, teacher or counselor and ask for help in dealing with stress, and use these ideas.

Set Priorities

Decide what's most important and needs to be done first. You don't need to do everything in one night. Prioritize what needs to be done early in the week, and what can be done later. If you're focusing on a few projects a night rather than worrying about all of them every night, you'll do a better job on each assignment.

Don't Try to Accomplish Too Much

Being well-rounded is important. However, you don't need to be the captain of the football team, the lead in the school play and employee of the month. Choose one or two activities that you can enjoy while also getting your schoolwork done and having time to relax or get together with friends.

Set Realistic Goals

Set goals that you can see yourself achieving within a week, two weeks or maybe a month. Setting goals that are too high can make you feel more stressed if you can't realistically achieve them. Try to find ways to break long-term goals into smaller, more manageable goals.

Acknowledge Your Feelings

It's normal to feel overwhelmed when things get busy, assignments are due and the coach scheduled extra practice. If you're feeling especially stressed or depressed, you may want to look at everything you're involved in and see if there are one or two things you can cut out until you feel better.

Be honest with yourself. If there's an activity that no longer brings you joy, think about whether you really want to continue pursuing it. It's hard to let go of something you've invested years in, but if it's become a chore with little return for you, it may be time to drop it.

Take Care of Yourself

Do not sacrifice your health because you feel you're too busy to take care of yourself. A combination of a healthy diet, regular exercise and plenty of sleep helps relieve stress.

Schedule Time for You

Set aside half an hour a day to do something that makes you feel good. Read a book or a favorite magazine, take a walk or ride your bike. This time that you take for yourself will help you focus when you sit down to finish your homework or practice lines for the school play. Try new ways to deal with stress, such as Yoga, Tai Chi or meditation.

Last Reviewed: October 2018