The end of Fall semester is just around the corner and we're all scrambling to make sure we're catching up on assignments and our online classes. We're all immensely busy, sometimes we don't have time to eat breakfast, or go watch a movie with friends, or even get a full nights' rest. Trust me- I get it.

But within this chaotic time, you'll have a friend reach out to check on you. Just a basic hello, hoping your butt isn't being kicked too hard, or that work has been going okay, or just simply wanting to check-in to see if all is going well. I'm that friend.

Being that friend who randomly checks in on people, even if I haven't spoken to you in a while, is something I hold near and dear to my heart. It's my way of letting someone know I still care, that someone cares, or just a positive attribute of a possibly dreary day. Knowing that I may have brought a smile to someone's face makes my heart warm and soul lighter. But sometimes, it sucks.

Sometimes being that friend who reaches out sucks because often people fall into a misconception that just because someone is reaching out to you, they have the extra or "spare" time to be reaching out. False. If someone is reaching out, especially a friend who is also senior, graduating, has the same sort of responsibilities you do, they probably don't have "spare" time. They are reaching out because they care.

I'm not here to say that those who struggle to reach out or just simply forget to reach out don't care. I'm just saying sometimes being the one who reaches out, who takes that extra step, can get discouraged or upset because they simply are taking time out of their busy day to think about you and to let you know they care.

Sometimes we go feeling unappreciated, especially when you may forget to respond and are posting on social media, but they remembered to reach out. This is not to say you didn't genuinely forget, because, trust me, I know it happens. But just because your actions aren't intentional, doesn't mean that hurt isn't valid.

I also don't want to nag or seem like I "don't understand" how busy someone may be. Nor do I want to come off as someone who is ignorant to the fact that people can have a lot on their plate sometimes. I simply want to push the fact that if a friend, peer, professor, family member or anyone else reach out to you, please, respond. It takes all of one minute to Tapback 'loved' on your messages or respond with gratitude and wish them well.

Our generation is constantly on our phones for some reason or another. I understand that sometimes we are stuck in situations that leave us unable to respond or get back ASAP, but to get back in a timely and appreciative manner is not too much to ask for. You don't have to have a full-blown discussion, but you can take one to two minutes to respond to someone.

Not responding can often make the person reaching out to feel as if their time and efforts aren't appreciated. Especially when they see your recent likes show up on their Instagram or Twitter feed.

The point of it all is to appreciate someone effort. Recognize that while they also may be busy, they took the time out to reach out. They don't want a medal or a prize, but to receive some sort of gratitude or response really can go a long way for those of us who are the constant "reacher-outers."

So, answer the question, respond to the well-wishes, and reciprocate with those who care about you. They care about you and that's why they are reaching out. And remember: just because someone is reaching out to you doesn't mean they aren't as busy as you, they just were intentional in their actions to show you they care.

So if you haven't reciprocated to people that reached out to you lately, take a few seconds tonight before bed and just send some appreciation their way.