As I entered my 21st year of life this past week, I couldn't help but look back and reflect on the past year of my life and what I have learned while being 20 years old. I have definitely grown and learned a lot of life lessons, but some of them have stuck with me more than others. Below are four of the most relevant things I learned while I was 20:

1. Sleep and your mental health will always be more important than school.

I have always been a person to stay up until the latest possible hour stressing over one homework problem I was stuck on or study until I fall asleep on my books. This past year, I really realized that although school is important and you should always try your best, it gets to a point where sometimes you just have to take the loss and get some sleep. Your body will thank you later.

2. Four years of college will go a lot faster than you think.

I still can't believe that I will soon be entering my last semester of college—where did the time go?! It's so easy to assume that you have plenty of time before you graduate and you can look at jobs and internships sometime in the future, but the future will be here before you know it. It is really smart to be proactive.

3. It is perfectly okay if you still don't know what you want to do with your life.

I really guessed that by the age of 20, I would know exactly where I wanted to work and what my career goals were. Although I do have a somewhat more defined idea, a lot is still left undecided. It is so easy to assume that all your friends know precisely what to do with their lives, but in reality, we are all still trying to figure it out and that is perfectly okay.

4. It is also perfectly okay to take time for yourself.

This year, I really learned the importance of taking time for yourself and making sure you always have time to de-stress. Taking five minutes to watch a YouTube video or choosing to stay in for the night instead of going out will benefit you more than you realize.