{"id":46632,"date":"2022-03-25T15:40:30","date_gmt":"2022-03-25T19:40:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/?p=46632"},"modified":"2022-04-01T21:27:56","modified_gmt":"2022-04-02T01:27:56","slug":"balancing-schooland-a-relationship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/2022\/03\/25\/balancing-schooland-a-relationship\/","title":{"rendered":"Balancing School\u2026and a Relationship"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>I\u2019ve had my fair dose of advice for balancing work and play, making time for friends while in school, remembering hobbies during times of stress. But balancing school while in a relationship? It\u2019s something I\u2019ve yet to address. Yet, it\u2019s a legitimate concern! I was the same person who believed that relationships were distracting. So, what do you do when you are in one? Can you achieve balance with a relationship, especially as a student?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>My boyfriend and I are both students, and we live in different cites and attend different schools. Not to mention how we both have jobs. All of these things are a challenge for managing a relationship meaningfully. And with exams around the corner, our schedules will be even more busy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/files\/2022\/03\/271657382_640242790365250_9101160147761326188_n-768x1024.jpg\" alt=\"big brown boots next to small white boots\" class=\"wp-image-46639\" width=\"376\" height=\"501\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/files\/2022\/03\/271657382_640242790365250_9101160147761326188_n-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/files\/2022\/03\/271657382_640242790365250_9101160147761326188_n-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/files\/2022\/03\/271657382_640242790365250_9101160147761326188_n-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/files\/2022\/03\/271657382_640242790365250_9101160147761326188_n-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/files\/2022\/03\/271657382_640242790365250_9101160147761326188_n-scaled.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 376px) 100vw, 376px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Finding time for my relationship meant sacrificing sleep to have those calls after a long day of studying, classes or both. Honestly, it hasn\u2019t been an easy road for finding balance. Although, if I\u2019ve learned anything about balance, there\u2019s never really an easy way to find it. Nevertheless, it\u2019s a worthwhile journey to pursue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So now that the semester is almost over, <strong>how am I doing with finding that middle ground with my relationship and my priorities?<\/strong> I\u2019d say my boyfriend and I have made it work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>We have a lot of study dates<\/strong>. Sometimes, he visits me in Toronto and we study together in my dorm. Or when I visit my hometown, he meet up to get our work done.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>We plan ahead.<\/strong> We figure out our schedules and fit each other in accordingly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/files\/2022\/03\/275928405_418843490006675_98410530395812433_n-512x1024.jpg\" alt=\"yawning dog in car\" class=\"wp-image-46642\" width=\"244\" height=\"488\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/files\/2022\/03\/275928405_418843490006675_98410530395812433_n-512x1024.jpg 512w, https:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/files\/2022\/03\/275928405_418843490006675_98410530395812433_n-150x300.jpg 150w, https:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/files\/2022\/03\/275928405_418843490006675_98410530395812433_n-768x1536.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/files\/2022\/03\/275928405_418843490006675_98410530395812433_n-1024x2048.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/files\/2022\/03\/275928405_418843490006675_98410530395812433_n-scaled.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 244px) 100vw, 244px\" \/><figcaption><em>Taking his dog for a hike!<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>We\u2019ve set\u2026boundaries. <\/strong>Okay, this is a little weird for me to admit because it comes off as keeping secrets from each other. What I mean is that when we call each other for instance, we communicate how long we can be on the line for or how late we can talk. Or when my boyfriend visits me, I tell him what days work best and let him know my priorities for that week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>We call or talk during our study breaks.<\/strong> This helps with my sleep because I can call him during the day. I\u2019ll be at Robarts and step outside to give a call and stretch my legs. He\u2019ll do the same when we walks his dogs or takes a break.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Come up with date ideas. <\/strong>I find that this boosts our spirits when school and work prevent us from having more time for each other. It lets us look forward to something later and reminds us that no matter what, there\u2019s still going to be time for us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>We do hobbies together. <\/strong>If you\u2019ve seen my video game blog post, you know I love games. My boyfriend and I find video games we can play together and it\u2019s a great study break and way to spend time together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/files\/2022\/03\/275881124_302216335365829_7298412264329845979_n-512x1024.jpg\" alt=\"game download on computer\" class=\"wp-image-46635\" width=\"256\" height=\"512\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/files\/2022\/03\/275881124_302216335365829_7298412264329845979_n-512x1024.jpg 512w, https:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/files\/2022\/03\/275881124_302216335365829_7298412264329845979_n-150x300.jpg 150w, https:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/files\/2022\/03\/275881124_302216335365829_7298412264329845979_n-768x1536.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/files\/2022\/03\/275881124_302216335365829_7298412264329845979_n-1024x2048.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/files\/2022\/03\/275881124_302216335365829_7298412264329845979_n.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 256px) 100vw, 256px\" \/><figcaption><em>I convinced him to get GTA...<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Now I\u2019m going to lay out a hard truth about relationships. I know I would study differently and live my life differently if I wasn\u2019t in a relationship. There are certainly times when having a relationship can be distracting (my boyfriend and I both admitted this to each other!). With how much you have to work around a schedule to prioritize someone you care about, it\u2019s easy to wonder how people bother with it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Having a relationship is part of life, and I\u2019ve learned that if something makes me happy, I\u2019ll want to make it work and I thrive on learning how to make it work!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"entry-summary\">\n<div class=\"entry-summary\">\nI\u2019ve had my fair dose of advice for balancing work and play, making time for friends while in school, remembering hobbies during times of stress. But balancing school while in a relationship? It\u2019s something I\u2019ve yet to address. Yet, it\u2019s&hellip;\n<\/div><div class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/2022\/03\/25\/balancing-schooland-a-relationship\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &ldquo;Balancing School\u2026and a Relationship&rdquo;<\/span>&hellip;<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div><div class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/2022\/03\/25\/balancing-schooland-a-relationship\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &ldquo;Balancing School\u2026and a Relationship&rdquo;<\/span>&hellip;<\/a><\/div>","protected":false},"author":408,"featured_media":46634,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[35786,27590,151,696,12569],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46632"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/408"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=46632"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46632\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":46675,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46632\/revisions\/46675"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/46634"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=46632"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=46632"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=46632"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}