Growing up, we are taught the importance of doing well in school. Studying leads to good grades. Good grades lead to good report cards. Good report cards lead to placement in good classes. Placement in good classes leads to more good classes. And the list goes on.

We are constantly taught the importance of education. We are told to go to school, to graduate, to get our degree in order to lead a better quality life. I've come to understand many things about school except one. To this day, I question where the line is drawn when it comes to our mental health in school. Many students live with mental health disorders which affect their everyday lives.

In many cases, it makes going to school a challenge. Even if you don't have a mental health disorder, your mental health can make school just as difficult. But everyone knows that you don't get a sick day for a mental breakdown, nor do you get a breather for feeling strong emotions of stress and anxiety.

We are told by our parents that "school comes first." School comes before a social life. School comes before having fun. Before extracurriculars. Before doing the things that truly make us happy.

We live in a world where students are competing against one another to get better grades, to get into better colleges, to get better jobs, to be more successful -- all because we are taught that these things are important.

Can you remember a time that you pulled an all-nighter finishing a project or studying for a test? Or a time that you beat yourself up over a grade that you got, or more commonly, a grade that you didn't get? Can you remember a time that you literally felt yourself being consumed by your own stress? Over your exams and your grades and your group project members that weren't pulling their own weight?

YES!! Because we have all been there. I have plenty of times.

The society that we live in is so self-damaging. And we all feed into it.

There is nothing quite as impeding as stress; as the anxiety, you feel as you're trying to submit a paper before its deadline; the burning of your eyes as you stare at your textbook for hours on end trying to memorize pointless information that probably will not make a difference in your life. Stress is so incredibly debilitating.

This is for all the students with social anxiety who struggle to give speeches and presentations. Because teachers expect you to work for your grade despite the shaking in your legs and the violent thumping in your heart. This is for all the students who have panic attacks that manage to get through classes. The sudden rush of dread and wanting to run far far away, but you manage to find a way to stay in your seat. I've been there. I've done that.

This is for all the students with depression who find it in themselves to get up in the morning and go to school. I sincerely applaud you for going to classes despite the vicious thoughts that cloud your mind and eat you up inside. But keep in mind this is also for the students out there who might not have a disorder, but who find it hard to get through school due to their mental health.

The thing about mental health is that you have no control over it. We go through break-ups, losses, and big life changes. It is extremely important to note that when it comes to mental illness, it is not like getting the flu or a cold. You don't just take medicine and it goes away. There's no magical remedy or vaccine out there that rids your body entirely from it. Mental illness is something you live with. But the world keeps moving, the day keeps going. Before you know it, your alarm goes off for school. But you're in no condition to do so. What now?

Your mental health should always come before school. If it's two a.m. and you have a huge midterm tomorrow but you find yourself shaking and crying, not sure you want to live anymore- sit down. Wrap yourself in a fuzzy blanket. Drink a hot cup of tea and get some sleep. So what if you get a 42 on the midterm? You took care of you and that's the best thing you could've done. Your well-being will always mean more than a letter grade. Yes, we value school but we must also learn to value ourselves... and that alone is far greater than anything you will learn in school.

So, to the student that is reading this right now, who very likely might be stressing over their future or their grades or whatever else it is that students stress about: just remember to breathe.

You are so much more than a grade point average in a computer system or a name on the Dean's list. You are more than a student.

You are a person; you are you. And that is your advantage. Maybe you don't have the highest grades and maybe you're not the best studier or the best student. And these things are more than OK.

Take a step back. Take your head out of your textbook or whatever it is that you are doing and think about the larger picture.

Yes, hard work leads to success; so, yes, it is important to work hard. But maintaining your sanity and living a healthy life is way more important than hard work or success or any of these things will ever be.

Just remember all of this next time you're crumbling under pressure or breaking down from the stress.