Whether it's school, work, social life, or anything else that may be causing you stress and anxiety, we've all been there. That moment when you realize that you've taken on too much at one time. I know for me, whenever I'm feeling this way I tend to shut down and not know how to move forward. I have the common problem of letting one thing that's bothering me affect everything in the days to come, and that's not right.

Despite what we may think, no one has it easy. Truth is, if it seems like they do, they're either 1) good at hiding their struggles and emotions or 2) they've been through it before and just learned how to cope.

Being a teen isn't easy. Balancing school work, social life, family, and friendships isn't an easy task and some days it feels like our brains are about to explode from pressure. Here's the problem, we often take on too much because we want to be the best we can be. Not fulfilling our own expectations ourselves is just as upsetting as fulfilling others expectations of us.

A few nights ago I was sitting in my dorm room thinking about my past self and comparing it to my present self. The old me was an anxious girl who longed for this "perfect" life she envisioned in her head, wanting to impress herself and those around her. Present day me realizes that there is no such thing as "perfect."

Bad days are bound to happen, but a bad day doesn't mean that it's a bad life. I guess sometimes it's equally important to not be so hard on yourself, expecting to exceed in all areas of life, but to just be kind to your mind and body. You're trying, you're doing what you can and you're physically and mentally handling what life throws at you in the only way that you know possible. It's most important to accept what you can and can not do rather than push yourself into an unattainable desire for perfection. Life is so much more about living in the moment and doing what you can daily as opposed to focusing on the complexities of life altogether. You can do whatever your heart and mind desire but just remember to be kind to yourself in the process.

PS. You're doing great; keep believing in yourself.