I’m posting this article this week because I find it extremely relevant to my life at exactly this point in time. I am exhausted. But I can’t stop going. I am at a point in my life where I have several different things on my plate which all need equal attention and diligence, and my effort to not forget anything along the way is failing.

Let me get this straight, I am not writing this article to complain. I am so excited about the things I am doing and the next steps I am taking in life, but that doesn’t mean that I should let rest go by the wayside as I prepare. As some of you know by now, I am currently planning on moving to China in a few months to teach English as a foreign language. Before I can do this, however, I have to complete my TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) Certificate. Also, I have to save up money to pay for travel and moving expenses while also starting payments on student loans. These things alone require me to work a part-time job, a full-time job and take classes online for my TEFL certification. I am also in dire need of a place to complete my twenty-hour practicum for these classes in addition to everything else. I am also writing for the Odyssey, which I love! It is great experience and it is such a great release throughout the week.

The problem comes when I let all of these things consume my time and my late nights to the point that the little amount of sleep I get is extremely poor quality. I find myself getting overwhelmed by everything that needs to be done before I leave in a few months rather than just taking it one day at a time. This is the wrong way to do it, and I am trying to correct this habit.

Yes, a lot needs to be done in only a few short months, but I still have a few months, and not everything needs to be done at once. There are things that I can’t do until a certain time comes. There are things that I have to wait on other people for. Sometimes things are out of your hands, and you just have to let it go and focus on what you can do right now. And what I’m finding that I need to do right now is cherish time. I’m going to be moving across the world in a few months, and I want the time I have here before that to be spent enjoying my friends and family and not stressed out and overwhelmed. One of the ways I can actually enjoy my time is to stop being tired all of the time. This means getting to bed early. This means saying no to Facebook and Pinterest before bed. This means prioritizing.

It is so easy to get stressed, but stress leads to poor quality rest which leads to more stress. Yes, there is a lot to be done, but your body and your sleep matter just as much if not more than the fifty other things you need to do. I’m saying this because it is something I am learning constantly, and something I relearn every day. Not everyone is preparing to move across the world. Some people are doing more! The point is, you know where you are at, and if you aren’t giving your rest enough focus, then you need to re-evaluate your priorities, because with inadequate rest, everything else will suffer too.