A life balance – words that have seemed foreign to me recently. Right now everyone is busy adjusting to new lifestyles: new school, new city, new job, whatever it may me it can be overwhelming.

Just a couple months ago I moved to Chicago, somewhere I had really never been to prior to my big move. I began a new job in a field I knew nothing about. Right after I began working, I started my full-time masters program online. Sounds like a lot right? Well it was extremely overwhelming at first. With the combination of a new city, new job and new school, I was left with little time for myself. I was missing out on all of my favorite things like cooking, going on long walks, working out, and even writing. If you have read my blog before this post you may have noticed I have been a little M.I.A. Well, that’s because I’ve been figuring out my life balance.

Finding your life balance is like searching for the perfect balanced diet – it’s near to damn impossible. But slowly after the trial and error of new routines, you are able to figure it out a little bit better to work towards your end goal. My goal of my life balance is to have enough time for work, school, myself and my friends. That’s it. But I know that’s a lot to ask and prioritize. When you have a full plate you have to figure out your prioritizes; what you need to do (like work and school), who you want to spend time with and what you need to do for yourself to make your mental capacity better down the road. Those three things that I carry with me day to day help keep me on track and find my balance.

If you’re struggling with finding time for yourself, remember that the only person that can make that time is you. Our schedules fill up so fast, but we can make our own time just as quick. For me, I have a hard time saying now because I tend to be people pleaser. Saying “yes” to everything makes other people happy, but overall leaves minimal time for myself. Sometimes it can be as easy as turning down a night out or a quick lunch just to make room for things you need to do for you. That’s not being selfish, that’s looking for yourself. And no one looks out for you like you do.

In all of my craziness I know that I am not alone. So many people are going through extensive & time consuming life changes, and nothing is too big or too small. While this can be such an overwhelming time of our lives, things will even out. As I have been balancing my changes for the past couple months, I am finally finding my groove again to make time for myself as every part of the day counts. Yes, it is important to work hard, but it’s almost as important to play harder.