Coming out of a busy last month and a half, I am exhausted.

I got less than five hours asleep each night, I have paint in my hair, I ate maybe two meals a day, and I can’t tell you the last time I did laundry. I am not complaining. I am blessed, but I am tired. In college, and in life, in general, it is sometimes really hard to juggle life. We all have tests, homework, and other commitments going on in our lives. We try to maintain all of these things while still getting a decent amount of sleep, and having something they call "a life".

So this goes out to everyone who is exhausted.

It started early February, I was looking at my calendar and I noticed that I had at least one test every week. No big deal, I can handle this. This stretches all the way to mid- March, but I got this, right? Add on additional homework, a couple of papers, and case reports, I already want to go to bed. Additionally, I hold a leadership position in my sorority, and February and March held a lot of commitment. I also dance at the university, and we have practice and performances coming up. The list goes on and on, and I get sleepier and sleepier reading it. I can handle this, I kept telling myself I got this.

The entire month felt like a complete and utter blur. Constantly running around making sure deadlines were met, and countless nights spent in the library until it closed. I was sure I was one of those people who no longer had "a life". My days were spent with my nose stuck in a book. I even had my sorority's Father-Daughter Day, where my dad bravely spent almost 4 hours studying in the library with me instead of doing something cool. The stress and exhaustion were real. So now I look back on my month of hell and little sleep, and I am grateful. We all have these moments, but sometimes we need a break.

Right before we left for spring break, I took a day to myself ( a Ferris Bueller kind of day almost). I was officially test and commitment-free (for now anyway). My classes were canceled (by the grace of God), so I slept in. Let me tell you, that was one good sleep. I got the paint out of my hair (srat commitment), and did ALL of my laundry. Even ate three meals that day. I went and dressed nice, put makeup on, so I looked put together (pro tip: if you look put together, people will think you are).

I was almost as proud of my “put myself back together day”, as I was of my “I survived hell month”. You know we all need a little self-love sometimes, and self-love is not selfish. We all have rough days or even rough months. It’s okay to take a day or even an hour to yourself (cue your inner Bueller).

It is okay to not answer your email, or text back right away. To sleep in a little longer, or take five more minutes to look fix your hair. It is okay to not have yourself put together every second of the day. It is okay to be exhausted. As long as you know how to put yourself back together in the end. If we don’t learn to take a moment to ourselves every now and then, we are just going to sink into stress. Self- love and appreciating not only your body but your mind is very important. So, if you’re exhausted, stressed, or going through your own month of hell, know you’re going to make it. Just don’t forget to treat yourself when you do.