I used to be uptight.

No matter the time of day, month, or year, on some level I was freaking out. Sitting in the backseat, watching the speedometer rise above the speed limit stressed me out. Watching in my peripherals as people ran around the house, late for their next appointment, made my head hurt. Slowly observing as papers piled up everywhere made me itch for a shredder. For a 12-year-old whose life consisted of school, swimming, eating, and sleeping, I worried about far too much.

Age 13, I was no different. Fourteen and 15 came and went with more stress and a few grey hairs. It wasn’t until I turned 16 that I realized I couldn’t continue to live this way. I was 16, and if science is at all accurate, I still had approximately 60 years left on Earth. At this rate, I’d be grey by age 25.

The problem was I cared too much. I didn’t worry about other people, I worried for them. I took other people’s problems on as my own. I spent so much time worrying about minute details that I never just stopped to smell the roses. And it was exhausting.

Then, one day, I decided to let it go. And it’s made all the difference.

Realizing that other people’s problems weren’t my own has allowed me to relax and expand my group of friends. I no longer believe I am responsible for everyone in my life. Their life is exactly that– theirs. And while I am part of it, their decisions and actions are not my responsibility. That’s not to say I don’t care about people anymore. I’m not going to stand by while someone hurts themselves; I’m simply not invested in every single decision they make. In a way I’ve come to embrace the “every human for themselves” mentality or, as Generation Y says, “you do you.” And I won’t interfere, because it’s your life.

Sure, I’ve got my own opinions. And am happy to give them, but ultimately I’ve realized that no matter what, it’s up to them what they do with their life. I can influence, instruct, support, disagree, but whatever they choose they choose out of their own accord. And while I may comfort friends when times are tough and celebrate when they is succeed, I am not responsible for their poor decisions nor their fantastic ones. I’ve taken other people’s problems off my shoulders and taken a deep breath.

So enjoy life, it’s yours to live.