Whether you’re getting ready for your first semester in college or you’re pursuing an MBA, you’re worried about the academic stress that college will likely place on you. In addition to concerns about completing the work, you also want to know how you can maintain a balanced life. This is what you should keep in mind:

Allocate Studying Time

In college, you can feel tempted by all of the social activities and events. As a result, you may push your work off until the last minute, causing you to miss extracurricular and social activities that you’d really like to take advantage of. Depending upon the amount of classes you’re taking, allocate a certain time each day to work on assignments and to study. Keep in mind that you will likely need to adjust the time you spend on work when you have a major exam coming up. Creating an organized plan helps you, and so does remember that flexibility is sometimes necessary.

Participate in Athletic Activities

If you’ve never been great at sports, you’re probably wondering how you could dabble in athletics in college. Most schools have club sports available. While you will likely want to sharpen your skills, you aren’t required to have a level of mastery at these sports. Also, you may discover athletic activities that you never considered in the past, such as yoga, riding horses or rugby. Ohio University also demonstrates the positive link between exercising and reduced illness, which can help you to maintain a better balance too.

Care for Yourself

With all of the new obligations, you may feel exhausted most of the time. While staying out late to go to a party might seem like fun now, think about how tired you’ll feel for the rest of the week. Make getting enough sleep a priority. In addition to sleeping for enough hours each night, you also need to ensure that you’re eating healthy foods. All of the treats at the cafeteria may seem tempting, but work to stick with healthy items most of the time.

Know the Resources

Maintaining balance is also about taking advantage of the resources available to you. Most campuses will, for example, have mental health service providers available if you are struggling. On top of that, you could speak with representatives at student life or your residential assistants or directors to gain some direction and perspective.

Starting or continuing college offers you many opportunities. However, you don’t need to let these opportunities overwhelm you.

Hannah Whittenly is a freelance writer and mother of two from Sacramento, CA. She enjoys kayaking and reading books by the lake. Hannah recommends getting a masters in public administration online through the University of San Francisco.