School-Life Balance

A current trend in the workplace is maintaining a healthy “Work-Life Balance.” In order to achieve this, companies have been focusing on improving their work culture and truly valuing the well-being of their employees. The idea of “School-Life Balance” is equally important for college students as it is for employees in the workplace. Whether it is in an office or in a classroom, people perform at their optimum levels when placed in a healthy environment with a happy well-being.

How does a college student maintain a healthy “School-Life Balance?” This question can be difficult to answer when we are responsible for many different tasks at once. College students juggle classes five days per week, shifts at work, hours of homework and exams, and sometimes extracurricular activities such as academic clubs and sports. How do we find “me time”? When can we focus on doing things we love, such as spending time with friends, working out, or simply reading a book? Below are a few tips to keep in mind when trying to maintain a healthy “School-Life Balance” as a college student.

1.     Dedicate time outside of your dorm/room: Sometimes it is easy to feel trapped in your dorm room working on assignments that seem to never end. To get out of this headspace, dedicate an hour of each day to leaving this environment. This could be going for a run, grabbing something to eat, or simply enjoying the fresh air. Facetime a friend! Anything you can do to take a step back.

2.     Plan weekend activities: You may be thinking “I have so much work to do this weekend.” If this is the case, pick one or two nights of the weekend to do something enjoyable with your friends after a full day of doing work. This could be a Friday night movie night with popcorn. Be creative, just make sure you find this time to spend time with the people you love most.

3.     Call your family: As a college student, you are most likely away from home and your family. Our busy lives sometimes prevent us from keeping in touch with our family. For me, calling my sisters and my mom always puts me in a cheerful mood. Calling your family may be just the thing you need to get you through a stressful week.

4.     Organize your priorities: Keeping a calendar and writing out your “things to do” list helps you prioritize what you have to do for the week. This way you are able to complete the things of high importance and cut some tasks out that you may not need to complete right away. You could also cut something out of your schedule completely! It is okay to step back if you feel as if you’re balancing too much.

These are just a few things college students can do to help manage a healthy “School-Life Balance.” As a heavily involved student, I keep these in mind when I am trying to balance my own. Maintaining classes, work, and clubs is difficult at times, but doing things that make me happy while living a generally healthy lifestyle all contribute to keeping a good “School-Life Balance.”

Nicole and Haley: Taking Care of You, Business Edition

Mental health should always be your number one priority. Our VP Nicole Fontaine & WOI planning committee member Haley Chupka spoke about their history with mental health and their advice for young women in business who may not know how to address their own difficulties. Here are some of their tips:

1. You are never alone! Friends and family will usually support you if you reach out to them. Even if they don’t always understand or they’re not always helpful, it can be good to have someone on your side. And on a grander scale, you’re in good company — Demi Lovato, Ellen Degeneres, Oprah Winfrey, J. K. Rowling, and so many others are wildly successful in spite of their struggles.

2. Therapy is a great thing. You may not like the first therapist you find, but that doesn’t mean you should stop trying. No therapist will be upset if you stop going to them, they just want you to get the support you need! There are plenty of resources on campus to get you started too: the Center for Counseling & Psychological Health and the Center for Women and Community both offer counseling or therapy.

3. Take care of yourself first. When thinking about mental health in relation to the workplace, you have to remember that you can’t pour from an empty glass. If you’re not well enough to work, don’t push yourself to keep going; make recovery your priority. Check out this video for more on the topic:

“Managing your mental health in the workplace” by Kati Morton on YouTube:

Keeping in mind all of the above is critical to keeping yourself healthy. Ultimately, it boils down to knowing when to reach out for help and knowing your own limits. If you have questions, reach out to either Nicole or Haley!

How to Get Out of The Winter Rut

Author: Kaylie Keating

The month of February is rough. The joyous holiday season that comes with December and the motivational spirit that fills January is followed by a whole month of dreary, cold weather and the feeling that warm weather will never come. And to top it off, those final weeks of walking through snow and attempting to stay warm are also the busy weeks before spring break-where professors fill your schedule with exams and there’s lots of events happening on campus. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by everything going on, as well as unmotivated as you try to pull yourself out of that lingering winter slump. Here are my top five tips for getting out of your winter rut and pushing through these last couple weeks before the sun finally starts to shine through.

1. Group Fitness Classes

Nothing motivates me to get active and go to the gym more than a fitness class. At UMass in particular, you have to sign up for classes via the IMLeagues app. If I am signed up for a class and there’s a waitlist, I’m less likely to leave the session and more likely to force myself to make the trek there. Whether you’re interested in some cardio in a Spinning class or finding zen in a yoga class, there’s a fitness class that you’ll love. The energy in the classes always leaves me feeling motivated and productive.

2. Have a “Me Night”

Trying to balance schoolwork with clubs, jobs, and a social life can be stressful and usually we can become so busy that we don’t even realize how burnt out we really are. A quick fix to calm down and rejuvenate is a classic and cliché spa night. Choose a night of the week and say “no” to plans that night. Order Insomnia cookies, put on a face mask, and turn on your favorite show. Or read a book, make some tea, and do anything else that makes you feel good. This night should be all about you.

3. Remember to Take Study Breaks

Nothing fuels burn out more than not taking study breaks. Throughout the week, try to take little breaks from work by grabbing some of your friends and exploring places on or around campus. My top recommendations would be to enjoy the serenity atop the Studio Arts and Design Building, walking through Durfee Conservatory, or treating yourself to a Glazed doughnut in Downtown Amherst (their Cookies n’ Cream one's life changing).

4. Social Media Detox

I’m not a social media hater. I think it’s a great creative outlet to express yourself and share ideas. However, I do think that it can be very negative, especially when you’re in a rut. Seeing all of your friends “thriving” causes you to question yourself and what you’re doing wrong. So try deleting all your apps for a day, a weekend, or maybe even a week. It will also do wonders for your studying. Goodbye procrastination!

5. Appreciate the Cold

I know it’s easy to sulk and complain about how cold it is, but at the end of the day, we go to college in Massachusetts, and nothing is going to change how cold the winter gets. So try to live in the moment instead of counting down the days until summer by enjoying all of the great things about winter. This is the only time of year you can make yourself hot chocolate with a heaping pile of marshmallows and whip cream on top without any regrets. Go do that.

Dealing with Stress at School

Author: Gabriella Sears

In such a fast-paced environment, it is so easy to become stressed about work load, grades, social life, and any other inconveniences life decides to throw at you! Below are some sure-fire ways to diminish stress and keep going when the going gets tough!

1.    Talk it Out! 

One of the best ways to cope with stress is by talking to a close friend or family. By discussing your problems, it is easier to acknowledge and deal with them. Your friends and family can also offer their own advice on how they deal with stress. In addition, talking about things going on at home or in their lives can make you forget about your own for a moment!

(UMass also offers 3 free therapy sessions!)

2.    Hit the Gym!

Although you may have what seems like a million things to do, hitting the gym is a great way to relieve stress and clear your head. It’s also great to gather some friends and take a class together at the Rec Center! In addition to relieving stress, you’ll also be keeping your body active and healthy.

3.    Make a To-Do List

It may seem cliché but making to-do lists and writing down tasks in the order you need to do them will help you cross things off your list efficiently. Start with small things and work your way up to bigger things based on importance. Things can be as simple as doing laundry, and as difficult as studying for exam. Decide what is most important for you to get done, and you’ll be crossing off tasks in no time!

4.    Take a Moment for Yourself

With so much going on, it is important to maintain good mental health. You cannot complete the things you need to do if you are sick or in a bad state of mind. To fix this, take a small amount of time to do something for yourself whether it’s going for a walk, watching an episode of your favorite TV show, listening to some music, or taking a nice nap.

5.    Take a Deep Breath

It’s easy to get caught up in all of the things you have to do, but you have to remind yourself that you will get all of it done. Think about all of the college students in the same boat as you and remind yourself that you are not alone! Take a moment out of your day to look at the bigger picture, and realize that you will complete everything, although it may take some time.