Students deal with homework, jobs, family responsibilities and sports practices on a daily basis. One of the biggest challenges student-athletes face is learning time management and adapting to stress. However, there are techniques that student-athletes can use to make their reality less stressful.
One of the biggest challenges for student-athletes is that sports take up a lot of time outside school hours. For me, Thursday is the most challenging day of the week because I have four hours of practice that night. It starts off with driving into Elkhorn at 4:30 to start setter training at five. Then, after setter training, I have an hour break, which I use to do some homework. Following that, I have lifting for an hour and then two hours of team practice. Every Thursday I don’t get home until at least 10:30 p.m. Even then, I still have to shower and eat dinner, and most of the time, it’s really hard to manage school work when I get home so late.
Another thing that can be a struggle for student-athletes is having to miss school to participate in their sport. For high school sports especially, most students have to miss the last hour of the day, which might just be their heavy workload class. Once the track season starts up again, students will be missing school all day, which can hurt their performance in school as well.
But if students don’t want to give up the sports they love and also want to maintain good grades, what are some ways they can deal with stress? Some may consider leaning on caffeine to fix their problems. Others may break down and have no idea where to start on their tasks. These are just a couple of the most common unhealthy habits students tend to lean on. However, there are better alternatives that are healthy ways to cope with stress. One healthy coping mechanism is considering your lifestyle habits. What food are you eating? Are you getting enough nutrients? “Just as stress can affect nutrition, nutrition can affect stress,” according to nutrition.org. Great whole foods that can help reduce stress include poultry, fish, fruits, vegetables and healthy fats like almonds, walnuts and avocados.
Another way you can reduce your stress is by getting enough sleep. Most doctors recommend getting 8-10 hours of sleep for teenagers, although with sports, trying to get enough sleep can be a challenge when you might have late practices and school the next day. To fall asleep more quickly, I recommend staying clear of caffeine after 4 p.m. and taking a rest from electronics directly before bed. Getting enough sleep can boost your energy and motivate you in school and sports.
In addition to sleep, you can listen to music, pick up journaling and try breathing exercises to help reduce stress. I find that music is a really easy way to reduce my stress, especially right before school, which can benefit my performance during the day.
Another solution to limiting stress is learning to prioritize and plan. Keep in mind what you might be doing after school and plan a time period in advance to work on school work. Also, notice that some assignments are due before others, so you want to prioritize them first. At the same time, parents and teachers could also consider ways to be more lenient, perhaps stretching due dates further or occasionally giving grace when a student has a rough schedule.
Learning ways to adapt to a healthier lifestyle and improve time management skills can benefit you all throughout school and far into the future.
