How to manage social life during NEET preparation. 

Let’s skip the niceties here and just start with the blunt and harsh truth. If you want to clear NEET in a year or two, you will have to forget about having a social life. The people around you, your schoolmates, will all be having parties. There will be Fresher parties, birthday parties, casual hangouts, get-togethers, a lot of fun. Everybody starts getting into the dating scene after 10th, there is a lot of gossip about who-likes-whom and who-proposed to whom. Your friends will date and will ask you why you don’t date. You will feel the FOMO, but then everything depends on your priorities.

Let’s see how you are going to handle your social life such that you do not feel isolated during the NEET preparation phase. First things first:

Limit Family Time

If you are living with your family then it becomes even more difficult to have a social life outside your family during the NEET phase. They take a major chunk of your energy. A lot of times your parents will say things like ‘Come sit with us, why are you studying so much?’ This will be said out of concern sometimes, or it is just because of plain obliviousness, they have no idea of how much effort it takes to study.

Also, I know it is tempting too, you will want to spend time with your family. But you will have to learn to say ‘no’ to them. Talk to them nicely, tell them that it takes a lot of effort to study, and that on some days you’d rather spend the time by yourself. Eat your meal at the study table or talk to your friends. Make it clear to your parents that NEET is your priority now. 

You can have a few meals with your family but if you feel like it takes a lot of energy to sit together, then feel free to say NO.

Choose friends wisely

Having friends is a necessity. But, hanging out with them often and having parties is a luxury. You cannot afford to have this luxury during the NEET phase. If you want to take a break from studying, you can hang out with them once a month. But don’t make it a part of your routine. Have video calls during lunch or just text for 15 minutes a day. Enough to make you feel like you’re a part of a society, that you’re not alone. But, not more than that.

Also, make sure that you’re spending time with the right people. Only talk to or hangout with the people that actually help you lighten your mood. Don’t hang out with people that drain you, people that you have to pretend in front of. Just make sure that leisure time is actually leisure and not added pressure.

Choose people who support you and understand your time constraints. If you do not find such people then keep the ‘friends’ at a distance and seek support and rest from family time instead.

Balancing friendships.

You should have a mixed friends group. Some of them should be other NEET aspirants, and some must be students of other streams.

The NEET aspirants will help keep the blood warm. The competitive spirit will help you get back to study. The best case scenario will be having a friend who studies at the same pace as you, you can study with them. This will be the best kind of friendship. You can help keep each other responsible.

Friends from other professions can help you keep some stability and sanity in life, they will help you stay connected to the world outside NEET. You will later thank yourself for having a friend that you can hangout with, without having to think about NEET.

Learn to say ‘NO

Do you know how any of the above guidance can be applied in real life? By learning to say ‘NO’. Learn to say no when necessary. If you have a big exam coming up, it’s okay to decline social invitations. Your friends will understand – true friends always do. 

The friends who do not understand your ‘no’ are not really adding in your life during this phase. You should rethink your friendships with them. 

I was a very sweet person, and I could not say ‘no’ to anyone during my NEET phase. It really hampered my preparation most times. One day I got fed up, and decided to prioritize myself. I stopped picking up calls and this led to the end of a few friendships. I don’t know if it is selfish, I cannot tell you if it is fair to the other person either. 

But, you have to prioritise, or you will get left behind in the competition. You will have to be a little rigid with how much friendship you allow yourself.

Cut out Social Media

Social media is not quality time. It is mindless, it is strenuous to the eyes. The endless scrolling takes away the time you could’ve spent relaxing with friends or family. The best decision would be to go off social media during the NEET phase. 

Once you get into a good college, you will have enough time to have an image on social media. You will have good stories to share, your life will actually be interesting. So, do not sabotage your NEET preparation for the social image. Choose wisely.

What you can do to relax.

Most of us won’t find supportive friends, some of us do not have supportive families either. Social media is also a big no-no. Then how to relax? See obviously, we’re humans, we tend to get tired, we want breaks. 

A healthy and beneficial way to take a break is by building a hobby. I used to paint a lot, it helped me relieve the tension and wasn’t as distracting or guilt-invoking as hanging out with friends would be. My mind used to feel clearer and I did not feel guilty for painting either.

How to keep control on your time-pass?

I used to couple my rest activities with a task. This means that I reward myself after a hefty task. For example, I used to decide that I could talk to a friend for 15 minutes after revising 4 chapters of biology. Or, I can paint a specific part of my painting after watching 2 long video lectures. Another example could be, I will go and have dinner with my family if I complete solving 150 questions. If not, I’ll have dinner at my desk. 

This way I made sure that I had control on my relaxing time. I know it is not entirely healthy, but it is a way to cope with the excessive work and guilt of wasting time. Try it for yourself.

Try to stay positive and do not forget to communicate

It is important to talk to your parents, friends, and mentors about your goals and the importance of balance. Try to make them understand your situation and your decisions. They’ll likely provide valuable insights and support. If you just disappear then there is a likelihood of a lot of friendship drama during your NEET prep. So, keep your priorities clear. Communicate well from your side.

If you’re cutting people off, and isolating yourself, then staying positive can be quite difficult. So make communication a habit, keep watching motivational videos, reading optimistic blogs and create a manifestation mood board. And, if you feel very stressed then reach out for help.

Conclusion.

You have to be extremely selective and rigid about your time during this period. You cannot afford to waste it. Balance is a skill you’ll keep refining. But also, learning what works best for you is all part of the journey. If you feel like you cannot survive without friends then feel free to keep them involved. Just make sure that you know where you have to draw the line.
So, friends, it will be very difficult but it will also be worth it. Remember, you cannot connect the dots looking forward, you can only connect them looking backwards. One day it will all make sense, you will thank yourself for prioritizing yourself in your teenage years. Till then, all the best.