I am currently a more-than-full-time student at Turing School of Software and Design studying full-stack web development and it is no joke. To put it not-so-politely, it's really fucking hard. Not only am I putting in around 40 hours a week of required classs time, we also constantly have homework and big projects, making 60, 70, 80+ hour weeks.
In order to stay sane, there are a few key things that I've needed to make sure I keep in my life, despite feeling like there's not enough time for anything, ever. I have to make sure I get enough sleep and that I eat my healthiest diet. I find myself utilizing my training in clinical herbalism more now than ever, making sure to drink lots of nutritive teas full of herbs that help the body adapt to stress. But by far the most important thing I do to keep myself happy and healthy is to get exercise - and for me that mainly means rock climbing.
Climbing makes me feel happier than any other form of activity I've ever done. I've never been able to focus enough to properly meditate, but I've found that the act of climbing removes every other concern present in my life and brings me utterly and completely into the moment. It is the most zen activity I've ever experienced. On top of that I find that the physical effect it has on my system is incredible. It not only makes me feel completely stretched out, but also has the ability to literally "flush-out" my stress, tiredness, and depression. If I'm feeling bad or gross and I go climbing, I can actually feel my body clear out those feelings, both physically and mentally.
Perhaps the single most important discipline I've had to cultivate while a student at Turing is time management. And I don't mean normal-people time management -- I mean ninja time management. Diamond thief time management. Knowing how and why and when to walk away and take a break is crucial to staying sane in this program. We are even given a lecture on "managing your shit" right at the beginning of the program, because that's how important it is. If you don't get enough sleep, your brain doesn't function as well. If you don't eat well and regularly, your brain doesn't funciton as well. And yes, if you don't get enough exercise... you guessed it: your brain doesn't function as well. So despite constantly feeling like I'm behind and not doing enough - I have to remeber to take care of Numero Uno (moi) in order to be my best and most present self.