Balancing grad school with your personal life can feel difficult. Between classes, assignments, study sessions, clinical placements, and work, it often feels like there’s little time or energy left for loved ones at the end of the day. However, keeping your relationships thriving is more important than ever during these challenging but exciting years. Whether you’re worried about growing distant from your family, drifting away from a friend, or sidelining your partner, here are some tips to help nurture your relationships while you handle higher education.

• Embrace Flexibility

Flexibility is one of the biggest perks of learning online—many graduate programs, such as MSN PMHNP online programs offer that option. Not only can you choose to be a part-time student, but in many cases, the coursework is 100% online. This means you save time and money traveling to campus every day, leaving more to go around for your friends, family, or partner.

That 30 minutes you don’t have to commute can instead be used to spend some intentional time with your other half before the day begins. You could even form a little morning ritual, setting your intentions for the day together, discussing the morning headlines, or sharing breakfast. Time is one of the most valuable tools in building strong relationships, so use it wisely. 

With virtual programs, you’ll also get clinical placement support to help you find somewhere close to home. With a dedicated placement coordinator, you stand a better chance of finding somewhere within driving distance that causes minimal disruption to your relationships and personal time.

• Maintain Open Communication

To help balance your personal life with your education, open communication is key. Let your partner, family, or friends know what your week (or even your month) looks like ahead of time if you can. A quick chat or a shared calendar can help loved ones understand your availability. This kind of transparency can also help you avoid misunderstandings, as everyone is on the same page about when you’ll be around and when you’ll need space to focus on your studies. 

However, just because you’ve not got anything scheduled on your calendar doesn’t give people the automatic right to your attention. Think of it more as a big-picture tool rather than an hour-by-hour breakdown. Everyone is different, and some people may find the idea of a calendar quite intrusive. In any case, sharing as much as you’re comfortable with is important, so people don’t overstep their mark.

• Set Boundaries 

Boundaries are essential in any relationship, but when you’re studying, they’re even more likely to come under scrutiny. Taking your education seriously means setting times to study and sticking to them, as well as finding a way to let people know about the periods you’ll be unavailable. However, it’s equally vital you set general, personal, and emotional boundaries. Grad school is a transformational period of your life, so there’s no better time to assert and communicate the limits of what you find acceptable and what you don’t. 

As a grad student, adulthood may be relatively new to you, along with the independence that comes with it. Either way, your 20s and 30s are often prime time for reconfiguring boundaries with parents and discovering new ones with partners and friends. As you spend more time away from your childhood home, and your priorities shift, it’s vital to establish boundaries to keep relationships strong.
For instance, it may be necessary to address unhealthy situations that require better boundaries, such as parents who feel entitled to know every last detail about your life, or perhaps you’re only just realizing a friendship is toxic. Maybe your partner is exhibiting controlling behavior. No matter the case, as we mature, we must stay true to ourselves and establish where we draw the line. 

Doing this will help you build healthy, rewarding relationships as life goes on. It also helps you avoid miscommunications or accidentally hurt feelings. It might seem a bit strict at first, but being clear with your boundaries can actually help make your study time more productive and your personal time more meaningful. It also helps everyone manage their expectations, leading to more beneficial, meaningful relationships overall. 

• Prioritize Quality Over Quantity 

Doing a master’s degree is difficult in itself, but it can be made even more emotionally taxing when you’re studying nursing, or specializing in a field like psychiatry or mental health. Sometimes, you simply won’t have time to spend with your partner in the evening, or make it to a family BBQ on the weekend.

However, even small gestures can show you’re still present and committed to your relationships. Try setting aside one dedicated block of time each week (or even each month) for the people you hold dear. Whether it’s a quick coffee date with the bestie, a romantic date night in, or even a weekly phone call to your parents, every little helps you stay connected. 

• Practice Self Care

We tend to think of maintaining relationships as being all about external actions—how we behave with our loved ones. However, the success of our connections with other people relies heavily on how we treat ourselves. If we want to be able to give love, we must be in a state where we have the capacity and energy to do so. This is why self-care is critical, especially when you’re juggling multiple responsibilities like grad school. Taking care of your own mental health and well-being helps you recharge, making it easier to stay present and positive when you’re with the people you care about. 

Advancing your career in nursing doesn’t have to strain your relationships. These days, with the ability to learn online and part-time, fitting your studies around your life and your loved ones is possible like never before. Try to embrace the flexibility that online studying affords you, set and stick to clear boundaries, and make the most of your time with the people you’re close to. Your relationships and support system are as important as ever as you journey through higher education, and can help make your hard work worthwhile.