Balancing School, Life, and Training

Balancing, well, everything has always been a challenge for me. Some days I feel like I’m in the middle of a seesaw, not quite sure which direction to turn. My parents have always told me that this will basically be my biggest challenge in all walks of life. Over the years I’ve learned that I’m definitely not alone with this, and it’s important to speak up about this. I’m very fortunate for everything I get to do, however it can be overwhelming at times. Over time I have had to learn how to manage this effectively without becoming stressed or having this affect different aspects of my life. 

School, personal life, and martial arts can seem like a lot at first glance. The saying goes “it’s like a giant bowl of rice, it looks like a lot all at once, but if you break it down bit by bit, it becomes less overwhelming.” 

So the best thing anyone can do is set a routine; not too detailed so when you do go off it, it’s not the end of the world. 

So for example, every morning I wake up, get my breakfast and start my schoolwork. Because I’m online I have a lot more flexibility to fit my classes into my busy schedule. Once I’m done for the day, I’ll usually do whatever house needs to get done and go to the gym in the afternoon. Now, some days I have work in the evening, but when I don’t, that’s my training time. And if I absolutely need to I’ll do more schoolwork when I come back from training in the evening. Reflecting, on this schedule I’m very pleased with it because it took some organizing and planning to create flow with this. I actually have a mini whiteboard that I write everything I need to complete everyday; it’s super helpful! And if I never need to add or subtract anything; it’s much easier. 

So with this in mind, looking back to when I was about 14 or 15 I did not have as much balance as I do now (which takes time and practice). I used to train / go to my karate studio every single day. And I would never train on my own or go to the gym. Now, while I love the ambition and drive I had then, it doesn’t exactly work in the long run. Meaning, you need to have a life outside of martial arts, to keep your mind and body strong. Karate can’t overtake your life 24/7, it’s actually

healthier if you don’t do it this way. Therefore, I actually found some ways to help my martial arts while having a better balance of my studio life. I eventually found a love for running and working out at the gym. These both have tremendously helped me in my martial arts career and continue to do so. And with online school I am mostly stuck at my house, which I am very fortunate to have this issue, but this can be boring. So this gives me another reason to get outside of the house. 

My advice, for any martial arts student that is having trouble balancing other things they may have going on in their life and it’s becoming quite stressful is when there’s a will there’s a way. If you truly want to do everything you are doing right, you are willing to find a way to make it work into your schedule. Stay organized and breathe when things may not go exactly to plan; plans change a lot and you need to be okay with adapting.

—Rhianna Cole