Recently, I took a break. From work, from school, from my phone, everything. I was spending my nights either stressed out or crying. I was overwhelmed, sleep deprived, and struggling. I couldn't function. Sleeping was something I rarely did, eating was fast and often food that wasn't good for me, and because of it, I suffered. I couldn't focus in school, I had a bad attitude at work, and my personal life was beyond messy. I finally hit a breaking point and called a friend, bawling because I felt like my life was out of control.

I had to take a break. I had to focus on me. This seems selfish to some, because so many others have it so much worse than me. I don't care about what those people think. I may be physically okay, I may not be needing for anything, but that does not invalidate how I feel. It does not mean I am not allowed to feel overwhelmed, or sad. Because I was. I spent so much time keeping everything bottled in, and when I finally broke, I couldn't even find all the pieces. I was hurting, and I wanted to feel better. So I started working towards that.

I cleaned my room. dusting, vacuuming, mopping, all the things I had neglected to do. I threw away trash, reorganized my clothes and books, and purged items I didn't need.I showered. I took time, and pampered myself. I shaved my legs, used my favorite body wash, and just had an hour of "me" time. It made me feel so much better. I reread my favorite book (Harry Potter and the Tri-Wizard Tournament, if you're curious), had a girls' night with my two best friends, and ate cookie dough.

I asked for help. I talked to a few close friends, and told my coworkers how stressed I was, and finally I felt like I had a weight off my chest. They all gave me the time and space I needed. There was no guilt, questioning, or isolation. Just acceptance and encouragement to take focus on myself, and what was best for my mental health. Through all of this, that was the reason I did so well. So often I don't tell anyone something is wrong, because I felt I would get judged. They took all my worries away, and that was my greatest encouragemnet to keep with it, until I was mentally better.

It's okay to ask for help. It's okay to take a break from solving everyone else's problems, and work on fixing your own. No matter what anyone else says, you are allowed to feel upset, and break down every once in a while. Someone will always have it worse, and someone will always have it better. So do what is best for you, and don't let anyone tell you different.