When people talk about “living in the moment in college,” they often talk about the parties they go to or the nights they spend downtown with their friends. While those are all fun, I’ve always had a different definition of living in the moment.

Some of my best memories from college have come from nights where my friends and I make no plans. We usually end up belting old Taylor Swift songs while we drive with the windows down and laugh at our terrible singing. I can’t exactly describe why those nights bring the best memories, but the feeling of freedom and weightlessness is untouchable.

It’s something that is rarely planned and feels almost fleeting as if you know you can’t hold on to it no matter how hard you try.

I've always struggled with my need to be in control of the situation I am in and that usually only brings regret. When I try to control things, I am always trying to make the next moment better than the last, rather than enjoying where I am right now.

There is so much pressure to make the best memories, friends, and grades in college, a pressure that forces college students to stress and plan their future now.

I have fallen victim to that time and time again when I let my stress over a homework assignment keep me from enjoying the people that I have been so blessed with during college.

I won’t remember staying up an extra hour to finish an assignment, but I will remember that hour I spent with my friends singing our favorite throwback songs.

A semi-wise man from "The Office" once said, "I wish there was a way to know you're in the good old days before you've actually left them." Every time I watch that episode I think about how terrifying it would be to look back on my time in college with regret.

I think that regret starts when you don't live in the moment, surrounded by the people that make you happy.

Living in the moment means that for a minute the only place you want to be is in that moment, carefree and content. No matter what that means to you, it's important to cherish that feeling and those friends as often as you can.