Studies and Personal Well-Being: The Best Strategies to Find Balance

“Building healthy self-esteem means being both demanding and kind to yourself.” – Christophe André

How many students push themselves to the limit, convinced that sacrificing their well-being is the price of success? And how many parents or schools—often unintentionally—reinforce this belief?

Today more than ever, learning to balance academics and personal life is not a luxury. It’s a vital skill that must be cultivated from a young age.

🔗 High standards are not elitism: https://www.espe-psy.com/nos-valeurs

Constant Pressure: An Invisible Risk

Our current culture glorifies performance, time optimization, and hyper-commitment. In this context, students juggle lectures, exams, part-time jobs, extracurriculars, social media, and family or societal expectations—often without learning how to protect their well-being.

The result? Mental fatigue, loss of motivation, sleep disturbances, anxiety, and even burnout. Ironically, this leads to a drop in performance where success was most expected.

Psychology is clear: chronic stress impairs memory, concentration, creativity, and decision-making.

So… how can we do things differently?

Take care of yourself during your studies

Well-Being and Success: An Inseparable Duo

Contrary to popular belief, well-being is not an obstacle to success. It’s a prerequisite. When we feel well, we learn better. We persist longer. We manage the unexpected with more clarity. We build healthier relationships. In short, we develop long-term internal resources.

But achieving this balance takes strategy—and a shift in mindset.

6 Practical Strategies to Balance Studies and Well-Being

1. Adopt a realistic and flexible scheduleYes, plan your time—but avoid packing every hour like a military schedule. Leave room for the unexpected, for rest, for breathing, for joy. The brain needs downtime to consolidate learning—known as the consolidation effect in cognitive psychology.

📌 Tip: Use the Pomodoro technique (25 minutes of work / 5-minute breaks) to respect your natural rhythms.

2. Set goals focused on progress, not perfectionChasing a perfect score is a mental dead end. What truly matters is progress—the feeling of advancing, learning, improving. This fuels intrinsic motivation (per the self-determination theory).

🎓 Parents: value effort, not just outcomes.

🎓 Educators: foster this mindset in your feedback and teaching.

3. Include digital detox ritualsStudying should not feel like living underwater. Carve out daily screen-free moments without assignments or comparison. Read for pleasure, walk, meditate, cook, draw… These moments restore attention and boost mood.

🧘 Even 15 minutes of mindfulness each day can change the tone of a study day.

4. Nurture social connectionsRelationships are major protective factors against isolation, loss of meaning, and demotivation—yet they’re often the first to go under pressure.Encourage regular conversations, group projects, and peer support networks.

5. Learn to say no—and yes to yourselfSetting boundaries—with yourself, others, and expectations—is crucial. It requires self-esteem, self-awareness, and recognition of personal limits. These are learnable skills.Schools can offer workshops on assertiveness and emotional regulation to build these competencies.

6. Ask for help without guiltMental health isn’t a solo journey. Stress, pressure, and doubt are human. Seeking help or speaking with a professional is not weakness—it’s a sign of maturity.

At ESPÉ, we offer free and confidential psychological support for all students—an essential service to prevent silent suffering.

The Role of Parents and Institutions

Professionals and families—you are key allies in maintaining this balance.

• Prioritize consistency over intensity.

• Offer supportive listening without excessive pressure.

• Help young people develop mental hygiene just as much as academic discipline.

At ESPÉ, this philosophy is a core pillar of our pedagogy. Because learning to care for yourself is part of building long-lasting competencies for tomorrow’s psychology professionals.

In Short: To Study Is Also to Learn How to Live

What if success wasn’t just about academic results—but about becoming a balanced adult who knows how to listen to themselves, stay organized, and choose their battles?

We all have a role to play—to ensure young people don’t have to choose between succeeding and existing.