Every start of every school year I promise myself so many things: promising to get my homework done as soon as it is assigned, promising to make it to the gym every day, promising to excel in every extracurricular I decided to over-book myself with, and promising to have an even greater and more successful year than the year before. But this year, I am promising to take a step back, not be so hard on myself, and to enjoy every single moment of my sophomore year.

Being myself, and over-booking my schedule as per usual, my over-ambitious, I have decided to take on being on the rowing team, being a senator in student government, volunteer at a local non-profit, tutor kids in Chicago Public Schools, and rush a sorority, all on top of attempting to be an academically-successful student. All throughout my life I have always put way too much on plate and nearly kill myself to excel in all that I do.

In putting too much on my plate and having a planner with hardly any blank space, I have experienced way too many late, sleepless nights, way too many cups of coffee, way too many stress-induced tears, and way too many compromised social plans. This year will be different. While I definitely have a packed year ahead of me, I am making a promise to myself as I embark on my sophomore year: I promise to take care of me. The early practices, class assignments, commutes to work, and countless meetings will wear me out, and maybe even make me lose my mind a little bit, but I am promising myself that it is OK to admit that I am drowning, to take a step back from all that I have going on in my busy life to watch that 43 minute episode of Scandal, to sleep in on a Sunday and skip the gym, and to have a great time going out without running through my to-do list for the next day.

It is so very easy, especially in college where there is such a vast variety of options to fill your time, to get caught up in resume-building, pushing yourself to work a little bit harder than your classmates, and to be a part of and excel in everything that interests you. However, I have learned that stress associated with piling way too much on your plate transforms you into a stressed, angry, lifeless person. I have watched myself turn into a person who doesn't let myself have fun and to turn down numerous social plans and compromising relationships in order to accomplish anything and everything.

But this year will be different. I promise and challenge myself to take all that I have chosen to pile up on my plate, and try my very best to do it all to the very best of my ability, but be OK with myself if I need a break from the life I have signed myself up for. So, here is to my sophomore year, a year of new experiences, adventures, successes, challenges, and promises: I am going to close my planner, and live.