As a full-time college student, with 1 paying job, and 3 volunteer jobs, I'm more than a little busy. I am a member of 2 clubs on campus, I write novels, and also run my own blog. I hang out with friends, keep in touch with my family, and make sure everyone knows I'm still alive. I try to build my presence on social media by posting multiple times a day, and I'm constantly reaching out to other people in my field of interest to collaborate with and learn from them.

I'm exhausted.

I'm one of those people that's proud to be busy and likes to shove it in peoples' faces.

Or at least, I used to be.

I feel energized around people, I love the work that I do, I am inspired by my mentors, and feel relaxed by my friends--but that only lasts for so long. Eventually, I start to feel exhausted doing even my most favorite things and I need to just chill.

Since learning to manage my anxiety disorder, I've learned to take some time to be unplugged. Not just from social media, but from everything: work, school, friends, obligations, etc. I take 2-3 days to just be entirely selfish, doing what I want and need to maintain a level head and a light heart.

I will skip either a Friday or Monday full of classes, request the weekend off of work, and turn my phone on silent. I let my friends know that I won't be going out that weekend, and tell my coworkers to find somebody else to cover shifts. I basically tell the world to back off and go crawl into my bed with no intention of leaving it unless I want to.

I used to think this was so selfish and I would end up crying half of the weekend away, wondering if people would forgive me for being such a jerk. I felt horrible that I needed to get away from it all in order to function like a normal human being.

Sometimes I would end up breaking my own rules and going out anyway because "that's what a good friend does." Or I would offer to take someone's shift at work. Or do homework. Or do my mandatory writing. The list goes on!

After a while, I learned that it's a-okay to take some time for yourself. Not even the most extroverted of individuals can be around people, noises, events, etc., for a while without taking a break every now and then. It's just silly!

Just like our phones, we all need to be charged every once in a while. More often than we think, actually. It's not a want, it is a necessity.

You know how people say you can't appreciate the sun without a little rain? Well, you can't appreciate the millions of things you do every day if you don't learn to enjoy the silence. Poor analogy, I know, but it sort of works.

Guilt should never come into play when you're thinking of yourself. Self-love is in right not--so hop on the bandwagon! Turn off your phone, don't make any plans, set aside your work and homework and just breathe.

Everything will be there come Monday, and you can work yourself up into a tizzy then. For now, however, enjoy a little "me time" and remember that life is too short, so stop working yourself into an early grave. All work and no play made Jack a dull boy--so unplug!