Most college students, we all have a way to cope. After a long day, week, month, semester or year all of us go through the need to get our minds off of our lives. When it all becomes too much to handle, we need a break. And for some it can be smoking at the end of the day, exhaling the words we never said and stress we hold. For others it's going out to drink, taking a sip to slow down the world and focus it back on the things that actually matter in life. For me, it's travel. My mind gets tied to the work of the places I come from. So leaving is like a breath of fresh air after getting the wind knocked out of your chest. These "smoke breaks" aren't a dream or a wish, but are the things that make day to day life easier. With a cleared mind and a shifted perspective, we can do a lot more than we could have without it. In the end, taking care of your mental health can reap more benefits than ignoring the warning signs. I wish it wasn't normal to watch people burnout and get sick from their busy lives. But in a time of freedoms and independence, taking advantage of the people you have around you and the opportunities that arise, makes these "smoke breaks" a reality.