Work, school, relationships, social life...how do you possibly balance all of these things without cracking at least once? The answer; you don't. One of the easiest feelings in the world to feel is overwhelmed. People take on so many things on a daily basis it's easy to feel weighed down by all of it.

I personally have struggled with figuring out how to stop myself from freaking out when I feel like I have a million things to do. Trust me, I still feel overwhelmed often, but these five things have helped me more than I thought possible.

Here are five things to do when you feel overwhelmed:

1. Call your parents.

Whether you like it or not, your parents know you better than most. They know exactly what to say to calm you down, make you laugh, and how to make your problems seem smaller. Over my short life, there have been countless times where I was at my breaking point and a simple conversation with my mom or dad kept me together.

2. Watch your favorite movie or TV show.

If you know anything about me, you know I love a good show. When you have something to focus your attention on, other than all the stress you are feeling, it helps you relax. Watching a storyline unfold on TV is a lot better than focusing on reality. I know if I ever need a happy distraction "New Girl" will always be there.

3. Hangout with the people who make you happiest.

Everyone has a person who always has the right words to say or the right stories to tell to make you laugh. When you are overwhelmed, the best way to calm down is to laugh. I am lucky enough to say I have multiple people who can always pull me out from my rut no matter how stressed I am. Shoutout to my besties for always being there through my breakdowns.

4. Go for a run.

I personally hate running; never been too good at it. I joined the track team in second grade and didn’t even bring tennis shoes to the first practice. As I got older, I realized running is actually a great stress reliever. You don’t have to be a good runner to go for a run. When you are running it makes you feel on top of the world. It has a way of making you feel strong. It doesn't necessarily have to be a run, as any exercise is great for relieving stress. If you are more of a Zen person, I would recommend doing yoga to relax. Anything to get your heart rate pumping is good for you.

When I feel myself about to hit the wall and crumble into pieces because of all my stress, I pray. Praying has a way of calming your heart and making your problems seem less like a problem. Even if you don’t have a close relationship with God, he still cares and wants you to talk to him no matter if it’s about a professor who seems to hate you, your boss who thinks your life revolves around work, or anxiety about anything and everything, God cares about you and he will always be there to take on what burdens are overwhelming you.