Work All Day, Grow Anyway: Student Life Beyond the Job

BeWellAdmin
Jul 8, 2025
3 min read

There’s a very specific type of existential dread that hits when the clock strikes 5:00 p.m. Not because the day is over, but because it isn’t. You close your laptop, your spine sounds like a glow stick, and you realize the real to-do list is just starting: gym, dinner, maybe a reading, probably some kind of vague socializing. Oh, and don’t forget to emotionally regulate, hydrate, and manifest your future. Easy stuff.

As a student working that 9–5 while trying to self-actualize, I can confirm: balance isn’t a myth. It’s just messier than Instagram makes it look. It’s less ‘hot girl walks’ and more ‘stumbling through the day on caffeine and sheer delusion.’

Let’s be honest: this lifestyle is not for the faint of heart. You wake up early for your job, fuel up with a questionably portioned breakfast (Greek yogurt and vibes), spend the day emailing, tabbing between spreadsheets and Spotify, and counting down to the moment you can maybe sneak in a workout. Then the evening hits and boom: you're expected to be a whole functioning human. Check in with your friends. Meal prep. Journal. Maybe even… call your mom.

Sometimes, I just lie on my floor like a laptop that won’t shut down and wonder: Am I even doing my best? The answer: Probably. You just can’t see it yet.

Here’s what I’ve figured out in this blur of iced oat chai-fueled days and half-finished to-do lists: self-growth doesn’t only happen during silent retreats or perfectly color-coded planners. It happens in the messy, unscheduled in-between. In the walk home after a long shift. In that 20-minute gym session you almost talked yourself out of. In choosing to cook something mildly nutritious instead of ordering Uber Eats for the third night in a row (No shame, growth is growth.)

It’s not about chasing perfection: It’s about practicing presence and giving yourself a whole lot of compassion!

Because when you work and study, your life turns into this weird sandwich of structured hours and stolen moments. It’s not about “having it all.” It’s about noticing when you’re spiraling, pressing pause, and remembering you still have agency. You still have time. You’re still allowed to pivot.

Here’s what’s actually helped me keep my sanity intact:

Calendar blocking “me time” like it’s a group project deadline. 9–9:30 p.m.? That’s “me, my pasta, and Love Island” time. It’s sacred, and it's all mine.
Moving my body out of love, not punishment. The goal is to feel powerful and healthy, not to chase an unattainable aesthetic or body type.
Eating real food. “Girl dinner” doesn’t count if it’s just crackers and delusion. Your body needs and deserves fuel, no exceptions.
Low-effort check-ins with friends. Even a meme says, “I thought of you.” Connection doesn’t have to be deep to be meaningful.
Letting myself be tired without guilt. Fatigue is not failure. It’s a sign your body’s been doing the most. Respect and embrace it.

And above all, I remind myself that I’m in the becoming stage. The “23 tabs open, 14 unread emails, running on protein bars and hope” phase of life. It’s not polished. It’s not linear. But it’s real and it’s moving forward, even when it feels slow.

If you’re here too: building your career, your friendships, your sense of self, know that you’re not behind. You’re just in the thick of it. This is the part where growth looks like effort, not ease. So, book that workout. Light a candle. Romanticize your reheated leftovers. Let yourself nap without shame. You don’t need to be perfectly balanced, just present enough to notice when you need to realign.

And if you’re not sure where to start, that’s okay too. Check out the free programs and services through Student Wellness Services, like Peer Wellness Coaching, to get you set up with your movement and/or sleep goals! Sometimes all it takes is one small choice to show up for yourself.

Because even when you feel like you’re running on empty, you’re still growing. Quietly. Relentlessly. In every small, gentle choice to keep going.