Sometimes life gets so busy and jammed-packed that you forget to allot time for yourself. You neglect your own well-being because you’re so busy concerning yourself with obligations to this and promises to that. You don’t do this intentionally, and by the time you notice the toll it’s taken on you, it’s already too late. You’re worn down, and you’re tired. You’ve taken too much on your plate and you can’t finish it all.

And often times there’s no one there to tell you that it’s certainly okay to put yourself first. That no one is going to blame you or judge you negatively if you suddenly break out of your daily routine to make sure you’re okay; to just check up on yourself and to make sure you can catch up with how fast this world is turning and how quickly this life is passing by. We all need a breather sometimes—we can only hold our breaths for so long.

I’m not saying that this is an excuse to skip class or to not do homework or to quit your job. This is a PSA to remember to relax and to take it easy. Overworking does exist, and being overtired is just as hard to overcome as it is to experience. There needs to be a balance of fun and work—without the other there will be too much of one and the scale won’t be stable and neither will you.

Remember, the most important thing in your life is you. Without you, there isn’t life and there isn’t light. I know it may sound selfish, but you have to be selfish sometimes in order to live your life to your fullest. You have to learn how to put yourself first—maybe not all the time, but it should be a priority most of the time. The time we have on this earth is very precious, due to the fact that it’s very limited. We don’t have an endless supply of the seconds we breathe in, of the minutes we soak up, of the hours we spend, of the days we collect. Most of this time should be reserved for you and for you only.

So remember, no matter how important an assignment is or how important a shift at work is, there’s nothing that’s more important than you—especially if you need the time to build yourself back up and recover from life in general. Everything else can wait—no matter how fast the world is spinning today, everything can wait until tomorrow if it means that every being of you is all well.