"It's not stress that kills us, it's our reaction to it" - Hans Selye

As a college student, I feel like stress is something that we have just gotten used to; like it has become a normal aspect in our lives. Stress ranging from grades, future, classes, friends, money, health, etc... Believe me, I am always stressed about something and I am sure you are too.

I can not stress (haha) enough about how worked up I get about the future and figuring out what I want to do with my life. It's like I get a few bad grades and think my world is ending. It makes me feel unintelligent, un-achieving, and just so clueless. It makes me second guess myself and in all honesty, makes me feel stupid.

So just "be chill." Don't get worked up over things that aren't going to matter in the big picture. Still try your best, but don't fret or be anxious over something that, at the end of the day, doesn't define who you are. Not to mention always being stressed is not good for your health.

I could sit around, play the pity game, and feel sorry for myself or I can believe in what is actually true about me. I am slowly coming to realize that grades don't define who I am. Grades don't show my level of intelligence. Test grades are just numbers that define how well you can repeat information. So stop feeling sorry for yourself. No one will be sorry for you if you already are for yourself.

I have come to realize that grades and numbers don't define me. Should I try my best on everything that I do? Of course! But if my very best on some science tests are high C's, then I need to be okay with that because that was my best. It doesn't make me stupid, or less intelligent than other people. It just means that the subject might not be for me, or my level of intelligence shouldn't be defined by a grade. And remember not to compare yourself to others, everyone is different. Comparing yourself to someone will get you nowhere.

Take my 5x5 rule: ask yourself, will this matter greatly in 5 years? If not, don't spend 5 minutes wrecking yourself over it. My point here is to work hard, do your best, and just "be chill".

Be the best that YOU can be, and remember to always be inspiring.