Exercise & Sports / Question
Published: September 28, 2006
Dear TeenHealthFX,
I really want you to answer my question about a football team and 3 soccer teams !! I am concered im doing to much please answer it
Signed: Too Many Extra-Curricular Activities
Dear Too Many Extra-Curricular Activities,
It is easy for children and teens to get sucked into too many extra-curricular activities nowadays. Our society tends to be a very fast-paced one, where there is a big push to constantly be busy, busy, busy. It is easy to forget that it is just as important for our mental and physical well-beings to learn how to relax and enjoy leisure activities as it is to be productive and work hard – the key is finding a good balance between the two.
Without knowing more about you, it is hard for TeenHealthFX to determine whether you are overloading yourself. But if you are feeling concerned, as you stated, that may be enough of a clue that something inside of you is telling you to slow down. In deciding whether or not you are on overload with your current schedule, FX wants you to think about the following things:
- Are you finding that your physical health is being negatively affected by your current schedule – that you are losing too much weight, not getting enough sleep, constantly feeling run down and tired, and/or are feeling more susceptible to getting sick?
- Are you noticing any negative impact on your mental well-being, such as feeling depressed, overly stressed, or anxious?
- Is your extra-curricular load interfering with any other aspects of your life – academic functioning, family life, and/or time available to spend with friends?
- Do you have any down time to relax or are you finding your schedule is basically all strenuous work – whether mental work in school or physical work with sports?
- Do you have a general gut feeling like your schedule may be packed too tightly and that you need some more down time?
FX recommends thinking about these questions and using the answers to determine whether or not your schedule is right for you. If you still have concerns after reading this, FX suggests that you speak with your parents about it or with another trusted adult to help you figure out what you want to do with t
Signed: TeenHealthFX
A national study of women ages 15-44 found that women were almost twice as likely to receive contraceptive services rather than STD services.
