In the middle of my spring semester last year I had a meltdown.

It was the final day of spring break and I was about to say goodbye to my parents when the prospect of going back to all of my responsibilities on campus hit me like a ton of bricks. As a second semester Freshman, I had taken on 16 academic credits, a 14-hour-a-week internship, an executive board position in my sorority, volunteering twice a week, and being an on-campus tour guide.

After a first semester that was filled with the stresses of adjusting to college social life, mainly caused by the anxiety that was induced at the prospect of being perceived as someone who had no friends because I stayed in on Friday and Saturday nights because going to clubs and fraternity parties are not my jam, led me to piling my plate high.

Once my second semester began though, the tides began to turn. I loved and was fully invested in everything I was doing, which was ultimately a blessing and a curse.

My social group also improved. I became closer to girls in my sorority and built relationships with them, I met new people and deepened my relationships with others. I suddenly was not feeling so lonely anymore. My semester was off to the races and I was excited to be along for the ride.

When I would call home to my parents and grandfather, all three of them would support and praise me for the progress I was making but would also remind me that “school comes first” and to “not forget about studying.” Being the stubborn individual I am, I brushed off their words of concern and kept pushing.

Retrospectively though, they were right to voice their concern and I should have heeded their advice.

The nights of working until 2 a.m. and the days where I was running around like a chicken with my head cut-off was not healthy. The stress was piling up like bricks on my shoulders until ultimately it became too much.

I had found out what my limit was and surpassed it. While it was taxing in the moment, this experience was one of a personal growth for me. My parents and grandfather coming in once again with their words of wisdom acknowledged that “To know your limits you have to break them first.”

I decided that the most logical thing to take off my plate was my volunteering commitment.

Giving this up gave me my Monday and Wednesday mornings in return as a time I could use for myself to catch up on work and other administrative tasks. I refocused my attention back to my academics.

In the final weeks of the semester, I limited my social interactions to eating with friends since that was a necessity, and also studying with those who I knew would not distract me. This point of reevaluation allowed me to take a step back and take a breath, thanks to that opportunity I earned a G.P.A worthy of being on Dean’s List, something that I was not expecting at all.

As I headed into this current fall semester, I proceeded with much more caution. Each time I thought about trying something new or applying for another position there was a strong voice in my head sounding off the alarms and warnings of the potential hazards of once again overloading my bandwidth. Now I have a lot better portion control when it comes to my plate of opportunities.

There is though, a final component of this dance with limits and that is remembering those limits.

What motivated me to write this article is the tension that has crept back into my shoulders and the ache that is in my jaw. Feeling these manifestations of stress as I go through my fifth week of classes with one more to go until Fall Break has made me conscious that I need to let up on the gas a little bit.

I am still busy, even my roommate has told me I need to calm down a little bit and watch more Netflix, but the truth is that I like to stay involved in not just a little, but a lot. What I am aware of are the choices I have the power to make which can help me ease the stress and come back down from reaching the top of my limit.

So I write this message as much, if not even more for me than I write it for the reader. As you go about your life, be conscious of the need to find your limit, know your limit and remember your limit.