Life is always moving, and it sometimes becomes hard to keep up. Think of being on a treadmill. After a while, our legs begin to ache and we become tired. A lot of people will say, "Push through, keep going, you'll feel better if you go your hardest."

"Be strong."

I don't agree. I think if you continue when you feel like you can't, you will only continue to feel worse. I think if you are tired, you should slow down. Stop if you need to. Give yourself rest, so you can continue later, with more energy and better than ever.

This is how I see life. I see no shame in taking a moment to slow down, stop, or take a few steps back. Sometimes we need that pause to regain our strength. We cannot be expected to run non-stop with no breaks. We all need a break sometimes, and it's nothing to be embarrassed about.

I use this philosophy in whatever situation I encounter, major or minor. If I am stressed by school work and I feel I am working myself too hard to an exhausted point, I will stop. I will give myself time to recollect and feel better before I return.

Even if that means missing an assignment, that is not the worst thing in the world! Missing an assignment, or not doing so well on a quiz... it happens. Everybody does it, everybody knows it happens, and it will not ruin your future.

We become too concerned and fixated on somehow breaking our future by everything we do in our present, when in reality, we must look out for our present self as well or who knows how we will make it to the future! Our overall health, mental and physical, should come before any outside force.

School, work, and social obligations can all be put off, as the main concern of our lives should be ourselves and our bodies. It will be impossible to maintain a life if you cannot keep up with your own physical and mental being.

If you are feeling too overwhelmed, stressed, frustrated, sad, whatever it may be, it is okay to stop and take a step back. Life is not a sprint, it is a marathon. Take breaks. Stop when need be. We are all going at our own pace; there is no need feel rushed in the process.