Balancing responsibilities

Many view student life as care-free, but this is far from the reality.

Whilst socialising is a notable part of being a student, there are other things students need to balance. At the end of the day, the main reason any student attends college or university is to learn, earn a qualification and prepare themselves for the next phase of their life.

With this in mind, responsibilities can pile up and without proper management and consideration. In this article, we aim to detail some of these key responsibilities and how students can manage them.

What are student responsibilities?

Like any other walk of life, student life comes with a host of different responsibilities that must be managed effectively to ensure one’s wellbeing. Here’s an overview of some of the key responsibilities you have to manage as a student:

Academic

During your time in education, academic success is arguably the top priority. This may seem simple in theory, but other commitments must also be balanced too. As well as deadlines and attendance, you many need to collaborate with course mates for a project, revise for exams, attend tutorial sessions, and do it all to a high level. Working out how to structure other aspects of your life around this can be difficult, but it can be just as difficult ensuring your academic responsibilities don't minimise every other aspect of your life.

Social

One of the most glamourised aspects of student life is the opportunity to expand upon your social life. With different cultures and people all coming together in one establishment, it can be easy to get swept up in all the opportunities. In these instances, you might take on too much to avoid FOMO (fear of missing out). Stretching yourself too thin with social activities can eat into the time you have carved out for other responsibilities and quickly lead to added stress.

Financial

Dealing with finances as a student can be notoriously difficult. Student life comes with some benefits (such as student discounts), but it can also be expensive. Some students might be dealing with things such as rent, bills and grocery shopping for the first time in their lives and it can be tough to wrap your head around. If you aren't able to effectively manage your budget, stress can build rapidly, and your mental health can be affected as a result.

Self-care

Due to a misunderstanding of the concept of self-care, it is often disregarded as a secondary responsibility, being seen as a luxury by some. In truth, practicing effective self-care such as maintaining a healthy diet, exercising regularly, getting enough sleep and practicing mindfulness can relieve stress and allow you to manage your wellbeing.

Responsibilities and burnout

One of the key issues that comes with multiple responsibilities is avoiding burnout. Stress in small amounts can be a positive thing, inspiring action and timely delivery. However, excessive negative stress for prolonged periods can be exhausting. Too much negative stress can quickly result in anxiety, depression, and burnout.

How to balance responsibilities

At first glance, it can seem like quite the job juggling all your responsibilities, but it is achievable. Having your ducks in a row, giving each aspect the care they need will have a positive impact on the state of your wellbeing, it's just a case of knowing where to start.

1. Prioritise and organise tasks

There is a lot on your plate as a student and managing each aspect can be overwhelming, especially if you don't know where to start. That's why it is absolutely vital to create a priority list so you can begin to work your way through your responsibilities and restore a sense of order.

Depending on deadlines, the amount of time before your next loan payments, nutritional needs or something as simple as making sure your washing is done, could decide how your priorities are structured. An example of this might be as follows:

• Coursework = Deadline coming up this week
• Speak to tutor = Session booked in
• Assess budget = Food shop needs to be done, and funds are running thin
• Put a wash on = Running out of clean clothes
• Social event = General night out with flatmates

Once you have an overview and structure of your general priorities, you can then ease the pressures of each priority with sub-tasks. Breaking each task up into smaller tasks make each feel more digestible and easier to tackle. Approaching responsibilities in this manner can ease the pressure from each and make it easier to assess how to balance them together.

2. Learn when to say no

Often, the easiest thing to do when approached by someone to help with one of their responsibilities that takes time away from yours is to say 'yes'.

It is essential to learn when and how to say no as a student to ensure you can remain committed to your own wellbeing and success. Some prime examples of this as a student are when you have a deadline coming up or you are trying to stretch your budget for a few more weeks until the next loan instalment arrives and someone asks you to join them for a social activity. Perhaps you’re in a situation where you have little money left and a looming deadline. Saying no here takes some strength, but it will more than likely be the correct decision and benefit you and your mental health in the long run by alleviating stress.

3. Budget effectively

Financial stress can be all encompassing and can dominate other priorities. That is why it is absolutely vital to budget effectively as a student. It can be tempting to blow an entire loan instalment when you first receive it on socialising, shopping and luxuries, but you can struggle to budget for the rest of the term as a result. Budgeting effectively using rules like the 50/30/20 rule which is a handy New Year Budgeting tactic and will help prepare you for financial challenges.

4. Schedule in time for yourself

When purely focus on all of your responsibilities, you can often forget to prioritise yourself and your own needs. Doing this might alleviate all of the other stresses in your life, you may be beginning to crash as you aren't addressing your own wellbeing. Making sure you have carved out time for yourself for little things like exercise, cooking nutritious meals, practicing meditation or practicing a hobby will provide you with some peace of mind. Just having some time to disconnect from all the external worries and simply focus on you, even if it's just some time to relax will be immeasurably helpful in managing those other responsibilities effectively.

5. Recognise when you need support

Sometimes, despite our best efforts, managing responsibilities all on our own can become too difficult. It is not a sign of weakness to need support. It can take incredible strength to reach out for support in times of stress. Understanding when you need support is the first step. The next is knowing where to turn. As a student, you have multiple avenues of support, from personal to professional:

• Friends and family
• Tutors
• Establishment counsellors
• Student support groups
• GP referrals
• Student Assistance Programme support

In times of need, there are avenues and networks you can turn to, and don't feel afraid to utilise them when you need them, they will provide understanding and support when you need them.

How a Student Assistance Programme can support with balancing responsibilities

If you are struggling with juggling your responsibilities and the stress is starting to negatively impact your wellbeing, you can access expert support using HA | Wisdom Wellbeing’s Student Assistance Programme (SAP). With access to a 24/7 counselling helpline, 365-days a year, our clinically trained counsellors can support you with stress, burnout and provide solution-base counselling to overcome the struggles. As well as this, you also have exclusive access to the Wisdom app. Loaded with wellbeing resources such as articles and podcasts you can better understand challenges of low self-esteem and confidence. As well as this, you can access healthy recipes, exercise routine and breathing techniques to work on your overall wellbeing and track your progress with the built in daily mood tracker. 

Conclusion

Responsibilities are personal and can vary from person to person, and despite perceptions, students have a heavy load of them to manage. It can be difficult to find a balance and prevent stress, but it is the key to success as a student. Finding that balance can ensure you can get the most out of your time in college or university and thrive in future with this understanding.