Class. Extracurriculars. Social Life. Food. Sleep. We have a lot on our plates (especially as college students). But I am going to repeat this cliche that I myself do not follow: we need to stop putting so much stress on ourselves. We always have to be the best. Get good grades, do all the extracurriculars, take leadership roles in them, exercise, eat and stay healthy, sleep, make a million friends and take all the pictures, go to all the social events, write a thesis, and graduate with honors. We cannot do it all, and we should not be expected to.

The problem with society today is that it feels like the norm. We do not slow down anymore, and we need to. We are stressed -- a lot, and it is not fair to us. College is meant to be fun and balanced; however, it is not anymore. Do not misunderstand me; managing to your work, extracurriculars, and health can represent balance. But, it is not true balance. For me, it needs to be finding down time, sitting and binging on some Netflix, catching up on TV shows, and reading for fun without stressing about your workload. As someone who likes to stay busy, I understand how hectic a schedule can be, but relaxation needs to be part of it. Why? When we have too much on our plate, it does not feel like we are really living.

When we are exhausted, we are stressed and we are always thinking about something else. We are not engaged with the moment. How are we supposed to enjoy college--and I mean truly enjoy it--when we are stressed? Life is about living in the moment and taking time for ourselves. Read that book out of pleasure, watch Netflix guilt free, eat well, and sleep comfortably. Realistically, we are at a time in our lives where we probably have the most energy we will ever have, but we feel the need to take advantage of that until we run ourselves ragged. We need to stop. Does it really matter if our lives look full and fun on paper if in real life we are constantly stressing and exhausted, running on a mix of stress and caffeine?

So, say it with me: Stop. Breathe. Take time for yourself and remember everything will be alright. Quality is better than quantity, and if you push yourself too far, the quality of what you do will deteriorate. Appreciate your talents and what you have; do not focus on what you are not doing.