There are different kinds of stress: stress that motivates you and prompts you to get out of the ever-present black hole of procrastination or stress that causes mental breakdowns and halts any kind of progression. Today, stress is constant in a world where our mental checklists are always lingering in the back of our minds. At least for me, school is a major source of this anxiety with never-ending expectations and assignments. All of this pressure can be overwhelming and at times it can prevent one from living. One can avoid this over-bearing feeling a plethora of ways: recognizing your priorities, planning ahead, and sporadically taking a “sick” day to rest and regain strength.

Figuring out how to prioritize your list of responsibilities can be intimidating; however, it will enable you to work at what matters most and allow you to focus on what will make you happy. We all work hard so that we may be happy and comfortable in this life, but it is so easy to slip in oblivion: disregarding your desires and getting lost in the emails, to-do lists, etc. Look at your life. What makes you happy? What needs to get done in order for you to pursue your desires? These are the questions one must ask in order to live the life they want.

Yes, there is always going to be things you don’t want to do but have to. At times like these accomplishing a task can be similar to climbing Mt Everest, seemingly impossible. However, planning ahead for these tasks helps immensely in order to avoid stress. Instead of finishing a project the night before, try starting a week before or the night it was assigned. Being able to pace your work in a fashion that fits to your schedule will eliminate the habit of cramming the night before.

Even when you prioritize your to-do list and plan ahead, life can be overwhelming. Everyone needs a day to rest and be away from the hustle and bustle of life. Every so often take a day or a few hours to do something you love. Paint, read, nap, take a bath, light a candle, watch a movie, or anything else that makes you feel separate from the never-ending phone calls and assignments. Just breathe and relax. Take a day to visit a park or museum. Go spend time with your friends. Remember why you are working so hard in order to regain your strength and motivation. It is so easy to be swept away in the assembly line of school, work, retire in today’s world, but sometimes it is good to take a stand. Stress will always be there, but there are many ways to reduce and manage it in a way that helps you discover who you are and what you love to do. Because at the end of the day whatever grade you got on your math test or what job you did or didn’t get does not define who you are; you are not your failures or mistakes. Just remember, this too shall pass.