I'm so guilty of always saying yes to people: to plans, to taking on work I have no time to do, and saying yes when I genuinely just want to say no.

I end up spread so thin throughout my week and unable to put the proper time into things that I made an obligation to first. That obligation is usually my school work too.

Since when did putting more of our time and effort into our extracurriculars and extra work become more valued and more important than the work we were expected to do for our education?

I have 100% put more of my time the past three years into my dance classes, leadership positions for my sorority, and jumped at every opportunity to be "be more involved" in my department and school.

I always told myself that I functioned better when I was busy and felt like I had something to do. But what was really going on was that I was uncomfortable with the time I had in my day for myself, since high school dictated my life with AP classes, choir, field hockey, theater and dance.

On one hand it is our own fault for taking on so much responsibility and wanting to do everything ourselves, but on the other hand, we were also raised in a generation where we were told we would be more successful and go to better colleges if we showed we could be diverse in our activities.

So here we are Gen Z, with email signatures as long as our to-do lists, and if that stresses you out you need to start embodying the two letter word we only spoke when we were two-years-old. NO.

You can say no. You can say no going out on Friday night. You can say no to the third internship offer you've been given on campus.

You can say no to the club that's been begging you to run for an exec position. You can say no to a friendship that is hurting you.

There is a distinct difference between self-actualization and selfishness and being comfortable with setting boundaries for yourself to preserve your sanity is not selfish. However, turning your back on a friend who may really need your support is.

The day you value the power of saying no and allowing yourself a slice of freedom is the day you value your life as a choice and a gift.

A no is easily misunderstood as a negative instead of a strength. But a simple no to one or two things in your jam-packed schedule can heal your soul and give you back the energy for yourself you deserve.

Never overlook the Power of the No.