By Ella Stone
Balancing extracurricular activities and academics can be really hard, and may even seem impossible. It’s important to learn when you’re too busy and a break may be necessary.
Extracurriculars in high school are great, especially when it comes to building relationships with your peers and forming life skills. Extracurriculars give you a chance to participate in your school, in a way that makes you happy, and as a way to enjoy various activities. Participating in these activities also ends up looking great for colleges. The more you participate, the better…until it becomes too much.
Even though sports or clubs are great, academics mean so much more in the long run when it comes to applying for jobs and finding out what you want to spend your life doing. Academics are the primary reason that we wake up every morning and go to school, so it is important to keep that in mind. Pressure from your parents or counselors about your grades can get annoying, but it really just shows they care. If you are enrolled in many activities outside of your classes, you may want to set aside time out of each day to make sure you stay caught up in school. Falling behind can lead to major stress.
Josh Brooks, a senior at Benicia High says, “Managing football and school work can be hard at times, but I like to remember the reasons I do it, and that keeps me motivated.”
The main goal about making sure you take breaks when needed is to benefit your mental health. Everyone burns out at times and may just need a few days to relax and take a breath. When you have to juggle school and sports for months on end without a break, it can leave you feeling overwhelmed and overcommitted. Dr. Bubrick from the Child’s Mind Institute says, “It becomes too much when after school activities start interfering with a child’s life.” This pressure can negatively affect your sleep, your performance at school, and especially your performance in extracurricular activities. If you are leaving too little free time for yourself and pack your schedule super tight, your work in school and activities suffer.
If you work with the people around you, like teachers or coaches, to find a balanced way to participate in both, you can become very well-rounded and confident with the way your day flows. It is important to stick to a schedule that you find helpful, so that it is harder to wander off the right path. Make sure when picking activities you pick ones that you enjoy and not because of pressure from others. If you are feeling tired and stressed or feel like you are too behind to even imagine catching up, make sure to take a breath and talk to the people around you. It is okay to take a break—everyone needs one sometimes.
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