As a student-athlete, your plate is extremely full. Between classes, athletics, maybe a job, and trying to stay in touch with your family, it's easy to feel like you don't have time for anything else. But there are those who find themselves dating amongst all of the other things they juggle on a daily basis. As anybody knows, time is essential to any relationship and must be managed well in order to keep the connection afloat.
This article lists points to maintain a healthy relationship despite having such a busy schedule.
1. Study together!
A lot of time as a college student is going to be spent studying, so you might as well do it in the presence of someone you care about. If couples are in the same courses, they can quiz and test each other. And, couples have excellent ways of motivating each other to study. If a couple is able to stay focused, they will have more time at the end of studying to do something fun! It's also good practice for practicing cohesiveness in the relationship.
Related: Student-Athlete Study Statistics
2. Use your open windows of time properly
It's common in a class schedule to have an hour or so of downtime before having to go to your next thing, so it doesn't take too much effort to meet with your significant other at the campus coffee shop or sit and chat before you each go off to your own busy schedules. This is a much better use of time than sitting on your phone between classes (guilty!). You can even double dip and study together during this break!
Related: 4 Tips on Time Management for College Athletes
3. Plan ahead
It's a no-brainer that a student-athlete needs to plan out their day to stay on top of things, but this rings even more true when in a relationship. Time off is seldom given, so while staying at home and resting together is nice sometimes, it would be more meaningful to plan out a day or evening together. Of course, life as a college athlete is super unpredictable, so when you do have time to spare, it's worth having a plan on how to spend it. One way to do this is creating a date jar with ideas for potential dates when the opportunity arises. The couple pulls an idea at random from the jar and goes on their way. There is still an element of spontaneity to this but all of the planning was handled ahead of time.
4. Take advantage of technology
Technology has made it easy to instantly communicate from anywhere in the world. Athletes who are in a long-distance relationship or traveling can make a little time to call, Facetime, or Zoom. This small gesture means the world to your significant other. A phone call is one thing, but seeing the other person's face (even on a screen) means so much more.
Bonus tip: Invite your significant other to your competitions! This shows them that they are important and you want them there, and lets them support you. If you are in a long distance relationship, meeting at a game might even reduce travel distance for both of you, and gives you an excuse to see each other!
* Originally published on October 20, 2021, by Isaac Haney
