As college students, we are wrapped up in our busy schedules. Between trying to balance a part-time job, an internship, a social life, a heavy course load, and a robust amount of extracurriculars, our days can feel pretty draining, and it can be extremely difficult to find time to relax and take care of ourselves.

In college, there's this notion that if you're not busy all of the time, then you're not doing enough. While it's important to take on new responsibilities and be an engaged person, both on and off campus, there comes a point where it can all get to be too much, and you simply just need some time to yourself.

Most people I know (including myself) experience guilt while relaxing. We've come to believe that taking a break means that we're wasting precious time that we could be spending on our homework, studying, or doing some other productive task. It's unfortunate that we all think this way, because our hard work is exactly why we're entitled to a break.

Sometimes, it can feel impossible to remove ourselves from the stress of college life because we're constantly thinking about all of the things that we should be doing, but guess what? Taking time for yourself is something you should be doing!

I know it can feel like there's just no time to read a book, watch a good movie, or call your mom (sorry Mom!), but the truth is that these are the most important things at the end of the day. Keeping up with your relationships and your hobbies is just as necessary as keeping up with your class assignments and work schedules.

So, next time, you want to take a break from studying after you've been in the library for five hours to go to dinner with a friend or to bake some delicious chocolate chip cookies, do it. Life truly is a balancing act, and that doesn't mean that everything else should take a backseat to school and work. It means that while school and work are important, and you should definitely spend time devoted to these areas of your life, they aren't your whole life. It's okay to take a break now and then. You deserve to relax, so take some time today just for yourself, and I promise that the world won't fall apart.