The Life of an Athlete

Many athletes know the struggle of keeping up with their social life, academics, and sports. It is very difficult to spend eight hours at school, go to a two hour practice right after school, then be expected to go home and do at least two hours of homework each night, and make time for friends. The weekend is usually the only source of free time you will get, but even then you sometimes can't hang out. 

Athletes sometimes have weekend practices, which interfere with other plans. Some people might also put off all the homework due at a later date for the weekend. I know I am guilty of this and find myself in piles of homework every Sunday night. Not only do I have homework and sports on the weekend, but I also have to work six hour shifts on Sunday's sometimes. With football games on Friday nights, the only day I have free to do homework is Saturday. Sometimes you just need a break from everything. This is why planning your week is very important.

I think all student athletes should dedicate one day on the weekend to homework and the other day to do whatever you want. I think it is extremely important to have a break in the middle of the week to provide some relief to the stress of having so much to do. I know that I sometimes get super stressed out and start to freak out at night when I am overwhelmed with everything. Taking a day off to not think about school and sports is something I could definitely use.

Not all people have the option of taking off a day during the weekend. This can be solved by simply trying to get homework done before Sunday night. This will ensure a good night sleep on Sunday and give you a couple of hours before to just relax. I think it is very important for people to simply be lazy every once in a while. There comes a point where you just need to lay in your bed and do absolutely nothing. I find the biggest relief from stress to be simply laying in my bed thinking about nothing. It sounds ridiculous, but I just need some time to myself.

The importance of education is so very high that it can sometimes be very overwhelming. Sports and school might be a top priority for student athletes, but you need to think about yourself first. You need to be happy. Don't think about all your responsibilities for one second and just do what you want. It's not worth doing if it won't benefit you in the long run. Your happiness comes before others and if that means taking a day off from homework then do it. I do not mean ditch the homework altogether, but choose another day to finish it. Planning your week can be very beneficial and is something I think all student athletes should use and take advantage of.