Do you ever feel like you are missing out on school activities because of your personal life or feel like you could be doing more with your academic and social life? 

According to jhsap.org “School-life balance is important for optimal academic functioning. Students often prioritize academics at the expense of personal factors, including relationships and exercise. This can lead to a decline in academic performance, as general health and well-being are critical to optimal academic functioning.”

Many students commonly deal with FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) while in high school. School life and personal life should be balanced with each other, one should not outweigh the other, and it should create a yin and yang effect.

There is a dark and light side to everything. Like fear and confidence, they can not be one without the other. Fear is often seen as a bad thing, and it makes you do things to stay safe. But fear keeps you on your toes.

So, if you fear you are missing out on school life because you are busy at home, then you should find ways to change that. School, especially high school, will be the most important and fun time of your life.

It is normal for people, especially students, to feel that way. However, doing nothing about your FOMO is not normal. When interviewed about FOMO during one’s high school career, students responded with relatively the same answers.

When Sophomore Jackson Goodwin was asked if he feels like he is missing out on life his response was, “No because I have friends that I hang out with inside and outside of school.” 

Sophomore Amauri Ciriaco concurred with Goodwin, and said, “No, outside of school I enjoy my time either with friends or sleeping.”

Friendships and other relationships could be the pinnacle of enjoying both school and homely activities. Friends can make everything much easier and tolerable. During sports or some other extracurricular activities, you can always achieve greater friendships.

But, do you ever just worry about missing out on school activities? Maybe because your friends may not want to do them? Well, even though school activities, like sports, are hard, they are also just as fun with the right people.

Goodwin explained how he already participates in sports and does not feel like he is missing out on extracurricular activities. He says, “I feel like I do enough already.”

Ciriaco gives a very similar answer to the question, saying, “No because I am already involved in extracurricular activities in school.” 

Giving yourself tasks and creating goals are good ways to stay on track so you can spend your time wisely in and out of school. Personally, I don’t want to leave this world with any regrets. So, I make sure that everything I do is 100% what I want to be doing.”

Are goals something you have been doing? Or maybe you would like to start setting up goals for yourself? Think now of goals that you have, then think to yourself when you will start and when you will finish.

Goodwin has goals for himself and has been working hard to achieve them. He says his goal is to “ make varsity soccer,” and “to have at least one quarter with straight A’s.” 

If you put your mind and body into your goals, anything is possible. 

Although this is true, how can we as students feel fulfilled with how we spend our time? 

A valid answer would be by using our time wisely to do the things we love. Interacting with people and making new friends is a good way to open yourself up to new things.

There is a saying that goes “minority is the priority” and to one like myself, I would say this means that we won’t be young forever and we should enjoy everything we can for as long as we can. So, do not waste your time sitting around, get outside, go on a road trip, and get closer to the ones you care about. Live your life.