The time has come yet again to start a new school year. Whether you're excited and prepared, or, like me, you don't even know when your classes start, it's important to keep in mind the balance between hard work and self care. Here are some tips from me, someone you actually probably shouldn't listen to about self care.

1. Don't procrastinate

Now before I lose you, at least try to avoid procrastinating. I know it's hard, but the more assignments pile up, the more time you'll spend desperately trying to catch up. You'll get less sleep because you'll be up at 2 a.m. reading assignments you won't remember in 6 hours when you need to be in class and writing essays that trail off unintelligibly. And even if you manage to maintain your grades by pushing all of your work off until the last possible minute when sheer stress forces you to spend ten hours catching up on everything – it isn't healthy. It's much better to work for a couple hours a day consistently and get some sleep maybe.

2. Make time for friends

DISCLAIMER: I'm choosing to not upload a photo for this bullet point because there's no way it wouldn't be a stock photo of a bunch of white people sitting in the grass and smiling.

For most of us, being alone for too long makes us feel awful and then we don't shower for a week. That's all of us. Not just me. For this reason, it's important to make time to socialize with people, whether that means joining a club or getting a job or just somehow magically having friends.

3. Eat well

Just eat a pile of raw fruits and vegetables.

Eating well honestly makes you feel so much better. Well enough to get shit done without burning out. Or so I've heard.

4. Drink Water

Or just smile at it.

Seriously. Drinking water has all these benefits for your body and mind. You can probably find a diagram of them all on Facebook or something. You'll have to pee like all the time but being productive and healthy is worth it, right?

5. Take breaks when needed

Take breaks when you're tired. Physically and mentally. You deserve to feel healthy, so if you need to take a couple days off work or skip class once or twice to preserve your mental and physical health, do that shit!