College is a crazy time. When you think about it, it's unbelievable that we do all the things we do and still stay sane. We balance classes, clubs, friends, and jobs, as well as the occasional unexpected drama or family issue. And yet we're still expected to get good grades, be involved in many different organizations, go out with friends, and prepare for our futures as adults. This pressure can sometimes stress people out and make them take things very seriously, to the point where they may forget how to step back and laugh at themselves. When this happens, every little thing becomes a disaster. Miss a step and drop your coffee? End of the world. Trip over your own feet when running laps at the gym? I need to leave the country and change my name. How about instead of jumping to these extreme circumstances, we try to stop taking ourselves so seriously?

I know what you may be thinking: if I never take myself seriously, I'll never be successful and get a job, and then I'll be unemployed and broke forever. Well, there you go being too serious again! I don't mean for you to literally stop caring about everything and become a carefree party animal, but I do think it's useful to laugh at the goofy moments we have every day, rather than stress about how we messed up. Haven't you ever heard about learning and growing from your mistakes?

Life is full of unexplained, crazy occurrences that we can't understand, and we often find ourselves asking what we did to deserve them. Well, sometimes, we haven't done anything wrong, and we were just meant to go through this to learn about ourselves. So, as hard as it may be to not fall apart with every new struggle, we need to try to focus more on taking a step back, gaining some perspective, and learning to find the bright side to every situation. If possible, laugh about it. Not everything is going to be a funny situation, no matter how much you try to spin it, but not every situation has to be completely serious, either.

As cheesy as it may sound, what they say is true (whoever "they" are): laughter is the best medicine. So the next time disappointment or frustration comes your way, brush it off and try to focus on the good. Whatever happens is meant to be and will work out in some mysterious way, as it often does. Life's too incredible not to find something to smile about each day.