Being a high school senior, life is about balance. There are many things that need to be balanced in your life, whether it is school, your social life, your family life, etc. Now going off to college, you will probably be confronted with even more stressful situations. In the article, the author, Nancy Schlossberg says that balance in one's life equals happiness and that there are two steps that can lead a person to make decisions that are well balanced in their life.
Now I must ask, How well do you balance everything that is going on in your life? What things in your life are hard to balance and why? Do you feel that the two steps in the article would help you find more balance and happiness in your life?
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/transitions-through-life/201111/happiness-is-balancing-act
So my life is only balanced for as long as I can handle--usually about 3 hours or so before my life become a mess again. Balancing is tricky. I'm trying to balance work, family, school, AP Bio, and College Applications. These things seem to be difficult to balance because they all require time. I constantly find myself wishing for more hours in the day so that I have more time to get things done.
ReplyDeleteI think the two steps are focused more towards deciding whether or not to do something/make a decision about a change.
But I do think Support and Self are important in balance. Support helps you keep life balanced and the outlook (self) which you look at the craziness of life can make a difference.
I definitely agree with the author that the more balanced your life is, the happier you will be and I think I balance everything pretty well because I know when I have to work and when I have time to hang out with my friends or do social activities. It is hardest to balance homework with extra curricular activities after school I think because after school there's a limited amount of time if you do not want to be up doing homework all night. I feel like the 4s's in the article can help balance as long as someone actually applies them, and if they are more balanced then it probably would help to find happiness in life. Personally, I feel like the more balanced my life is, the less stressed I am which puts me in a better mood and leads to overall happiness.
ReplyDeleteHey guys that was Anisha who posted, for some reason her account was not letting her post.
ReplyDeleteBut anyway,I would have to say I balance everything going on in my life well. I try to participate in as many different things as I can, and I feel that I am able to effectively manage my time so that I am able to participate in everything. Sometimes it is difficult to balance my sport with school. There are nights where I feel like I have hours of homework, but I also need to go to practice. It's difficult to decide whether I should skip my sport altogether or if I should sacrifice a few hours of sleep to get my homework completed while still going to practice. This morning, for instance, I had to be doing two different things for two different clubs at the exact same time. If you saw me in the hallway, I was probably running from one to the other. It all ends up working out in the end, however.
I enjoy keeping busy, and therefore think that while the two steps in the article are useful for people to find balance, I don't think they would be much help for me. I don't plan on making a transition to find more balance, because I feel that there is enough balance in my life, where no one area is being neglected. No one area is being giving too much attention either. I have to say I'm happy with the amount of activities I have going and the amount of obligations I have to various areas of my life.
I actually have to admit that I am not very balanced. As much as I try to stay balanced and try to spend the required amount of time on each important thing I have to do, I never seem to get the hang of it. So, to compensate for my obvious lack of overall equilibrium in my life, I prioritize. I probably shouldn't admit this so openly on a school-related forum, but family will always be my first priority. So if it comes down to doing those four hours of homework or spending some time with my mother for the first time in what feels like weeks, I will sacrifice the school work for spending time with my mom. What's my justification for this? I'm going to be leaving home soon for college, so I might as well spend as much time with my family as I can. There will always be work to do so why should I jeopardize my relationship with my family for that? I should say, however, that I always manage to get my work done. Somehow, someway, it gets done and done well. I find that the last thing on my list of priorities is sleep. But I'm happy. I always work well under pressure anyway, so balance doesn't seem to be a necessary part of my life.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the author on this point, though: I feel like I'm a rarity; most people probably need balance in their lives to be happy. I don't, however, think that the 4 S's are necessary. I think that you'll be able to figure out how to balance your own life depending on what you consider most important.
I'm going to admit I tend to get unbalanced a lot and every time I try to get back on track a mini break down happens. However, I always do find my way, and when I do I find that those are the times I am the happiest because I'm not stressed. However, I hate being bored so I have to be constantly moving especially on the weekends. Also, like Meghan, my family comes first always, so the thing that I find hardest to balance is my friends. There are so many of them that live all over NJ (and NY) that it's hard to keep track of them and to plan things and make sure everyone is happy.I think the two steps helped me realize what keeping balance is about and I will definitely be using the steps
ReplyDeleteI have to say that for the most part, I do balance my schoolwork, job, extracurricular activities, and other obligations relatively well. Of course, some weeks are more hectic than others, but I usually find that I am able to handle these situations as they arise, and that I generally like being busy most of the time. Although there are some nights when I feel overwhelmed by a specific aspect of my life, usually homework, I find that by continuing to devote the time to other activities as I usually do helps me to effectively balance the work that needs to be done that day as I'm able to split my focus on each item individually. Balance definitely helps me to achieve whatever needs to be done, even under pressure. In fact, I find that I complete some of my best work when there's not as much time to complete it in or when I'm extremely busy.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with Meghan in that although the 4 S's can work for some people, many can figure out their own sense of balance in their life depending on their specific situations. Many will either prioritize, or treat each task worthy of the same amount of time.
Though I often feel stressed with the amount of things I need to complete in such a short amount of time, I do believe that I live a very balanced life. I always make time for my extracurricular activities in addition to my schoolwork and my friends. The only thing that is very difficult to include is time with my sister. We're both always so busy! When I'm home, she's out and when I'm out she's home. However, we always manage, after a couple weeks pass, to make time for each other and go out, just the two of us.
ReplyDeleteSubconsciously I think I follow the steps mentioned in the article, however I've never been faced with a real heavy decision that I needed to reflect on.
I have to say that my life is pretty balanced. I manage to be a student and a year long runner. I cannot say that my life is not full of stress because lately I feel like stress has been part of my daily life. I do recognize though that if I did not do the thing that I love most and makes me happy, running, I would be off a wall probably. Once I go to practice and am with my team I am instantly a happier person and even if I am having a bad day by the end of practice I feel more energized. I think that the 4S's can work for certain people who really put their mind to it.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree that balance and happiness are often synonymous. Balance is probably the hardest thing to achieve, and I think that is probably even more true for us IHA girls, as we are expected to balance an almost unreasonable amount of things: school, sports, social life, sleep, college applications, a job. Often one or more of these things takes a backseat to whatever I am focusing on, and I think it would probably be impossible to put all of myself into everything all the time. I think that the 4 S's can probably be really helpful, but I also think that they can be difficult to implement because we are not always in control of all of the S's. For example, as teenagers we cannot always control our situation, including where we live and who we are surrounded by, and we also cannot always choose whether or not we have sufficient support. That being said, I think that the 4 S's are a wonderful objective to strive for and that we should take control of all that we can in order to achieve a more balanced state and therefore a happier life.
ReplyDeleteI have a very hard time balancing everything that is happening in my life. Sometimes I feel completely overwhelmed with school, sports and my social life and i feel that i have to end up spending less time on the things that i want to do in order to have enough time to accomplish the things i have to do. I feel like the two steps in the article would help me balance the things going on in my life more efficiently so that i don't have to feel like time is cheating my out of experiences. Keeping in mind the 4 s's, i feel like i can make a positive change. I would have to recognize my current situation, i would have to know myself and the type of person i am when faced with adversity, i would have to have a solid support system behind me and i would have to be flexible in acknowledging and implementing many different coping strategies.
ReplyDeleteI too believe that once things/situations are balanced, then a person may feel that their life is happier due to the fact that they now have order within it. The two steps described in this article are, in my opinion, ways to successfully create this sort of order and "happiness" within life. One cannot ignore a problem and expect happiness, but instead the problem must be handled in a logical way and be assessed. Though this might sound like extended math homework, I have seen the difference it has made in my life. I have trouble finding this sense of happiness because I tend to stress out a little too much, but now that I have created open communication, and found a support system, as well had positive influence in my life, I feel like life isn't as hard to cope with.
ReplyDeleteI think that life is definitely a balancing act which means that some things are down when others are up and can never be equalized. Balancing my time between what I have to do versus what I want to do is probably one of the hardest things I am challenged with. I find it extremely challenging balancing the little amount of time that I have to get my school work done. It is as if I am stuck between a rock and a hard place because I have an obligation and responsibility to my team and my family where my time needs to be spent, but I also have an obligation and responsibility to my school work. It is hard to start the year off on a good note when one is drowning in the normal amount of work in addition to college applications. Finding time for myself is extremely difficult, I feel that as if I don’t even have time to breathe anymore. I know it should not be this way and that something has to give, but is that the standard at which every IHA girl is held to? To be the best they can be, the most well-rounded they can be, and quite frankly to be the best of the best? This is a challenge that, even as a senior, I still face. I need to find a balance between the work I put into my sports and the work I put into my school assignments. If I worked half the amount I do at a given practice, then my school work would definitely improve- if only it were that easy. I don’t think the steps in the article would necessarily help me, I think it is more of identifying one thing at a time to work on- creating little jobs for myself, not matter how ridiculous that may sound. I think it can be overwhelming at time to look at my agenda and see the sheer amount of work that I need to do. I find it easier to focus my time and energy on one task, and once accomplished I move on to the next one.
ReplyDeleteI have noticed that I'm truly at my happiness when I feel as though my life is balanced. When all the relationships in my life are going well or at least have come to some level of understanding, when my classes aren’t killing me and my grades are decent and when I'm not constantly stressing is when I feel the most at peace and the most balanced. My life doesn’t necessarily have to be going "perfect" but when things are working out or at least when I have found a way to begin to work out my own problems is when I am content.
ReplyDeleteI feel like life is hard to balance in general, everything could be going great at school but once you get home you could be in a horrible spur of the moment fight with your parents that can certainly throw off your balance.
Although I often cannot find a balance, I feel as though finding a balance requires a clear mind to know and understand that no matter what is happening at the moment, it can always be changed and fixed for the better.
To be honest I feel like my life is well balanced. When my life isn't balanced I often feel depressed and unhappy because everything is cluttered and un-organized to me. Not only myself, but also my family have seen a change in my life when it comes to balance. In particular, my mom noticed that when I participate in sports I have a specific time range in which everything is suppose to be finished. For example, during cross country season I know that I will get home around five, take shower and eat, leaving only a certain amount of time to start and finish my homework. In my life the certain things that are hard to balance is having a full time job. I noticed this in the beginning of the year when I tried to work at a restaurant full time during week. This was very hard to do because I would get out of cross country practice at five when work started at five, and I would have to rush to take a shower and get ready to get to work at home then drive all the way to work to start my home. During this time, I would usually come home exhausted from work not wanting to do any homework at all. I feel like the steps given in the article could work for anyone who really focused in on them.
ReplyDeleteAs a self-diagnosed lazy person, balance can be hard. I try to balance 3 AP classes, college applications, the rest of school, after school activities and sometimes even having a social life (I know, who do I think I am, right?). But being an IHA girl, I think balance is one of the first things we have to learn to make it through. The steps in the article could be helpful to someone who can not personally balance. This is not saying that they're unable to, but often I find that I don't actively seek out the balance in my life, it just comes. I remember one of the first things Mrs. A said in our physics class was "I understand you have a lot of work and if you tell me you didnt do the homework because you had more important things, I understand". This sums up our lives at IHA very well. We sometimes have to cut things short to make room for other things, or maybe not do one homework today because the teacher doesn't check it and there is an essay due in another class. I think by the time we become seniors we still have all the stress of IHA but we have finally learned how to balance our lives and when enough is enough and we need a break.
ReplyDeleteTo be honest, I know that I am not balanced. When I look at the amount of work in my agenda, I see what I have to do and what I can skip. If the class isn't that important to me then I'll skip the homework and do something more important like a project or an essay. Especially now with college on the horizon, my work load has become even heavier. Some nights I skip all of my homework and work on my essays for college or make sure that I'm not limiting myself to just a couple colleges. Sometimes I try to make up for my missed homework because I know in the end it will benefit me, but truth be told I don't think the 4S can help everyone. Everyone has different priorities and everyone has to search for their own balance based on their priorities.
ReplyDeleteBalance. Balance is a huge aspect of life. Being able to balance social life with school is a very good lesson to learn. As a freshman it is the hardest to balance your friends verse school. Expecially at IHA, you want to go out with your friends so you know you have friends. As the year goes on though, you do learn that many people want to succeed, and I think the drive of all your classmates around you, help you pick up that drive and learn to balance school and friends.
ReplyDeleteThe hardest thing for me to balance is social life verse volleyball. School volleyball starts in August and goes till the end of November. I am will my team everyday after school until 6:30 and on the weekends with them for different tournaments. It is very hard to make time for my friends because I am busy either practicing, going to games, or doing my homework. This year however, was the best year of balance. This year the volleyball team was very close, making it not feel as if we had no social life since we all really did enjoy hanging out with each other.
I think that the steps can help you but I think everyone has to make their own steps due to their own aspirations.
I am not balanced at all. I wish I could be though. Between school (and all the work that comes along with it), college apps, extracurricular activities, volunteering, having a social life, babysitting and family time - it's difficult to spend equal time on each. But I think that now as a senior, spending time with my family and friends is more important to me than doing homework or volunteering. I used to volunteer 3 to 5 days a week but this year I've cut it down to once a week. It is still important to me but I don't need to dedicate most of my time to it. Personally, I don't think the 4S system would work for me but it might for others who can identify the features.
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