In order to fully understand how to achieve balance in your life, it is important to understand what mental balance actually is, and some common ways to achieve it. In this example, the brain is compared to a muscle. If one part of the muscle is being overused and the other is not being used at all, the balance between the two becomes skewed. If you become extremely stressed and continuously have negative thoughts, your mental balance will become disrupted and it will become extremely difficult to enjoy your life and enjoy the benefits of balanced thinking. One way to balance the burden of negative thoughts and positive ones is to catch yourself anytime you have a negative thought and immediately replace those thoughts with upbeat positive ones. 

Relating this to student athletes is important for the purpose of this post. Hearing some insight from a student athlete on how to manage academics and athletics is the best possible way to learn. The three main pillars of balancing life are communication, time management, and commitment. According to Tiffany Toney who is a trainer and a former pro athlete, surrounding herself with like minded individuals, was one piece of advice she wished she had received before college. Being able to properly communicate with those around you is the key to success. Time management is something that all people of all ages struggle with. It isn’t just a problem for students, but in this case student athletes are constantly required to manage their time between practice, games, class, studying, and just wanting to have a social life. There are ways to effectively manage your time, but some students either aren’t aware of these methods, or are not willing to implement them. Being fully committed is something that doesn’t come easy to everyone. Some people say they are fully committed, but aren’t willing to sacrifice and refuse to take the easy way out.

What does it really mean to be a student athlete? Most common students don’t fully understand the distinctly difficult lifestyle that student athletes live. On a daily basis these students are waking up at 6 or earlier for practice and then spending the rest of their day in classes, or in another form of practice or a game. Being a student athlete means you are completely dedicated to your craft, and are willing to make the necessary sacrifices to achieve what you want. They are different from regular students, but also similar in some ways. Both types of students are experiencing college for the first time, and figuring it out on the fly. Both types of students are also trying to get the best grades possible and graduate with a degree in their particular field. Student athletes and regular students are more similar than people realize. 

In conclusion, this post was aimed to help my audience learn more about student athletes, and their struggle in balancing academics and sports. I want this blog to be applicable to anyone, so even if you aren’t a student athlete, hopefully you could use some of the tips and information that was scattered throughout this post. Even though my main focus is student athletes, I want to be able to help and inform anyone that is struggling with balance in their life. Hopefully you learned something while reading this, and keep updating this blog and my Twitter for future posts!