03 Jul Burned Out by Senior Year: How I Learned to Balance School, Work and Sports

“Here comes my senior year, and I’m burnt out … So it was time to figure out what I could do to help myself.” (Photo by SEO Galaxy on Unsplash)

Commentary, Arianna Viengvilay

I remember the moment I got my first job. It felt amazing. I felt like I finally had the independence I’d always dreamed of and would now be able to get any and everything I wanted.

Growing up, all I could ever think about was my future and how exciting it would be to be finally “grown.” I would think how exciting it would be to be driving my own car, going to high school, making my own money, and buying whatever I wanted. 

Now, as a fresh high school graduate, I find myself still thinking about my future and envisioning what I want in it. I imagine my future career, balancing school and traveling, and just stepping into my next chapter. 

But I’m also thinking about my past — my high school journey and how I balanced school, sports and work.

Ever since my freshman year, I had been looking for a job. I wanted my own money so I could have a sense of independence. Plus, I knew my family needed the money too. So you can imagine how exciting it was to be on the phone with the store director of Safeway as she asked me to come in for an interview.

It all happened so quickly. I had to move everything around. I texted my soccer coach and told her I might be a little late for practice but that I would be there. I had my interview around 3:00 p.m. and made it to practice at 4:15 p.m. I was really nervous during my interview, but luckily, sports and team management had taught me to build and maintain connections and adapt to my surroundings, which helped me present myself as the right candidate for the job.

>>>Read: How Sports Helped Me Grow Beyond the Field<<<

Next thing you know, practice ends, and I check my phone to see an email saying I got the job. 

It felt like a huge step forward.

There was just one problem, my schedule. I had school (8:30 a.m.-3:15 p.m.), sports (4:00 p.m.-5:30 p.m.), and now work (depending on the day). Now, obviously, it wasn’t jam packed all day, everyday. Some days, I had games and would request the day off from work; weekends, I just had work; and some days, I didn’t have work.

Regardless, it was still a lot to juggle. The first year was fine, but here comes my senior year, and I’m burnt out. I started waking up for school late because I was so tired from work. I never wanted to go to work because sports was tiring and I wasn’t in the best shape that I could be. But I had to go to work because I had two little sisters who lived hundreds of miles away with a mom that couldn’t really provide for them.I needed to make sure I had money to give my sisters. I also had to work because personally, I needed the money too. I didn’t want to keep relying on my dad for everything. I believe all older children feel this kind of pressure, the need to be great, to make everyone around you proud. I know that as an oldest child, I want nothing but the best for my family. And if that meant working till I dropped, then that was what I was going to do. 

My grades started to fall, and my physical and mental health were terrible. I wasn’t taking care of myself, so I found myself constantly sick. I was depressed at times, and all I wanted to do was sleep, yet I didn’t really find myself with time to sleep. It felt good to be able to help my sisters out and help get them what they wanted, while also being able to provide for myself in a way. But that didn’t help with how I felt about not performing well in school or sports. I would feel like the world was collapsing and I couldn’t breathe.

So it was time to figure out what I could do to help myself. I decided I could take the pay cut that I would get from working a little less time. It was my last year in high school, and I needed to make the best of it. I needed to get my grades back up and focus on sports, so I only worked on weekends and got a little more into senior activities. 

Now, if you ask me whether I regret balancing school, work and sports, I would tell you, without a doubt, I would do it all again and again and again without another thought. 

Yes, I was burnt out, but I found my groove. And that’s how life is. If you fall, you get back up. There is no other option. For every setback, there is a comeback.