On Wednesday, April 11, Paul Ryan announced that in November he will not be seeking re-election for House Speaker. This decision came as a surprise to many Republicans who did not believe he would be leaving until after November.

Paul Ryan has been a part of Congress since 1998 when he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives for the First District of Wisconsin. For 20 years, Ryan has been completely involved in politics.

In fact, in 2012, Mitt Romney announced that Paul Ryan was his pick for vice president in the election, but of course, Romney-Ryan were defeated by Obama-Biden.

Ryan's surprising announcement of stepping down comes for a (very) good reason. In his brief press conference, he said he "didn't want to become a weekend father" to his kids.

On speaking of politics he said,

“The truth is, it is easy for it to take over everything in your life and you can't just let that happen because there are other things in life that can be fleeting as well: Namely your time as a husband and a father."

And there was nothing more that influenced his decision.

Ryan's shocking step down from speaker and his reasoning stands as a prime example of what politics can do to not only someone directly involved in politics, but to everyone standing on the sidelines.

I always find myself getting drawn into politics ever since the 2016 election. Something about it has become addicting to me. A lot of millennials are, I am not the only one.

A Vice research study shows that 65% of millennials voted in the 2016 election, compared to the 55% of the general American public that did.

Whether it is because of dissatisfaction or integument, it is safe to say that Americans stay very involved in politics. We devote our time to reading stories or tweets, listening to podcasts or radio shows, and watching news networks and press conferences.

After a while of staying constantly involved, we get tired of it.

Politics has become so time-consuming and can even cause unnecessary stress to anyone's life.

Ryan made an extremely smart choice to get out while his kids are still young, and he can begin to enjoy life without the stress of politics following him around.

When you are even feeling the slightest bit tired watching the same stories over and over, turn the TV off. Close off Twitter. Find something relaxing to do. Those stories will still be there when you get back.

Politics (and everyone's opinions on them) are not worth that much in your life. Take Ryan's retirement as a lesson to show you that you deserve a break from everything sometimes, too.