Stephanie Green Blog

Women's Lacrosse

Off The Field With Stephanie Green: Finding "Me Time"

CNUsports.com has asked senior women's lacrosse player Stephanie Green to give fans a look at life as a Division III student-athlete. Balancing school work, practice and much, much more, Green provides an inside look in her weekly blog.

Volunteering in an ER…Shadowing local physicians...6 am practices...Peer mentoring athletes...Lab reports...Leadership papers...Meetings for Beta Beta Beta…Interviewing potential students for CNU's PLP program…Filing Nonprofit paperwork…Attending ceremonies for Academic awards...Lacrosse tournaments...Group projects…Late nights in the library...

DOES IT EVER END??!! IS THERE EVER A SPARE SECOND FOR MYSELF??!!

Sometimes I think being a student-athlete is the most demanding thing that I have ever had to deal with. Between balancing normal homework, studying for upcoming tests, attending early morning practices and lifting as an athlete, and shadowing physicians and volunteering as a future medical student, my phone calendar is ALWAYS full.

There's some weeks where I lose track of what day it is because every day runs into the next; each day is so packed and extremely long that I end up with less than six hours of sleep that night and I wake up the next morning thinking it's still the day before.

I think that many student-athletes face this challenge. While some carry the notion that being a Division III athlete is not nearly as demanding as a Division I school, oftentimes I feel that it is more demanding. Division III sports provide the opportunity to have a bit more free time than a Division I lifestyle. However, more often than not, these student athletes fill this time with an opportunity to work and make money, or volunteer with a local community organization to help boost their resume.

To me, it is not difficult to balance everything. What is MY challenge, is finding that time for MYSELF--my "me time", the time to relax and spend doing something that I want to do. All week long, student-athletes work to please others--we attend practice and lifting to work hard and show our coaches that we are capable of competing, we go to class and take tests to prove to our teachers that we should receive good grades, we volunteer with organizations to help boost our resume for future endeavors. All week long, we work our tails off to show our best to others, but how often do we spend time on ourselves?

While playing a sport, taking classes we choose, and volunteering in fields we wish to work with in the future are all delightful and allow us freedom in our choices, we need to have time to ourselves as well. This time is essential for maintaining a stress-free, relaxing and comfortable student-athlete lifestyle.

I've found in my past three years here at CNU that my "me-time" is spent in ways to draw me closer to the Lord. College has helped me become stronger in my faith. With a personalized Lacrosse Bible Study led by a few girls on my time and Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) on Monday nights, I've been able to spend time calming myself and building my relationship with Christ.

I think it's important to each and every student-athlete to find that one thing that will grant you "me-time" during the week. For me, FCA and our team Bible Study has been perfect for this. For others, maybe watching a television show or going shopping, or simply catching up on sleep may be beneficial. In any case, find that balance among all your commitments, but don't forget to find time for yourself.

Steph
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