Ever since we are in the first grade, we are taught certain “rules” about school and life. We must go every day, get good grades, get into a good college, so we can get a good job! Makes perfect sense, right?

When did it start becoming so competitive? My parents always told me they worked hard but were never as stressed as teens nowadays. They claim it was some of the “best years of their lives.” Then why is it some of the worst years of my life? The stakes are raised and the pressure is high! From getting the perfect ACT score to aiming for a 4.0. But that's not it: you must have many extracurriculars, play a sport for all four years, have a job, and pretty much be perfect! I might sound crazy but it’s the truth!

Teens all around the world will agree with me that we get bags under our eyes from not getting any sleep. Literal pimple breakouts from stress. Weight gain from stress eating or weight loss from no time for eating. And lastly, our bitchy, unhappy, mean attitudes due to all of these things combined!

Many of us get the impression that we are no longer individual humans working our butts off to get into a university, but we are simply just numbers on a transcript.

Enough with the negative. All of this is unavoidable and just obstacles we must tackle. Together, we can do this. Individually, each and every one of you can do this.

How? I am not going to lie to you, it is an uphill battle, but instead of focusing on the bumps in the road, focus on all your accomplishments. That A you got on a test you studied so hard for, the ACT score you earned, or even just making time to study among all your other commitments. Take it one day at a time.

In the end, we will all make it. Everything happens for a reason, you will end up at the college that is meant for you. These are our teenage years! Let's stop stressing more than necessary and just simply try our hardest. If you give it your best, that's all anyone could ever ask for.