Balancing school, work and internships while living life to the fullest

August 01, 2018 · 3 min read · By Taylor Brune
The past few months, I have been working full time as a Medical Assistant in a medical practice and have been attending ASU online as a full-time student. I also run my own dog sitting and walking business on the side. On top of all that, my mom is currently very ill and going through treatment. When I’m home, I am helping take care of her. With that said, my life is full and sometimes chaotic.
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How do you balance school, work, internships, and life overall?

It took a while for me to adjust and learn how to do all of these things plus take care of my own health, spend time with my boyfriend and friends, and devote time to my spirituality. What I learned very quickly was that there is not enough time in the day to complete everything. I had to learn how to prioritize my daily tasks and choose where I invest my time and energy. I began to develop a routine that served all my needs. Monday through Friday, I work around 8-9 hours, depending on my patients and workload. On the way home, I run errands, such as grocery shopping, dog walking jobs, and appointments. I then come home to eat, shower, help my mom, take care of house duties, and begin my homework. I spend a few hours doing my schoolwork and then take an hour before bedtime to complete my self-care routine. My Saturdays and Sundays are saved for spending time with my boyfriend, family, friends, and going to church. This routine has been working well for me.

Despite the chaos that sometimes ensues, I am able to stay grounded and push through with a clear state of mind and a desire to move forward. Since life is constantly changing and throwing me curveballs, I have found my anchor in my faith and spirituality. When I feel overwhelmed by stress, anxiety, or sadness, I look to God and spend some alone time meditating and praying, which helps me to gain clarity and perspective when I feel lost or like I am struggling. I also reach out to my friends and family for support. This is important because there are moments when I get stuck in my routine and forget to be social or make time for fun due to my work, studies, and responsibilities. I’ve learned balancing both fun and responsibilities brings rewards and success, as well as a sense of accomplishment.

Life is too short not to include the things one enjoys

It’s more beneficial to my future patients for me to take care of myself and build a life that I flourish in, rather than focusing on just one thing. Living a healthy life is not easy; one has to work hard in every area of what they value most. What helps me put my life into perspective is identifying the categories of my heart and making lists underneath those categories. The categories that are important to me for bringing balance into my life include health, academics, career, home, family, friends, boyfriend, finances, and spirituality. Each one of these I pour time and effort into to build balanced days, which then translates to a balanced life.


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About the author

Taylor Brune is a brand ambassador from Vista, California. She graduated with an online Bachelor of Science in integrative health.
We're so excited to share Taylor’s story! Taylor is a part of our #LearnASULive team, an ASU Online brand ambassador program highlighting students who are earning their degrees while living their lives to the fullest. If you enjoyed this, be sure to check back for new articles from Taylor so that you can follow along with her journey.

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