I am a part of so many conversations in college when someone asks the group “How are you?” or “How was your day?” and someone loves to respond, “Tired” or “Busy.” I get where these people are coming from and that it’s easy to fall into the cycle, but why do we love to continuously shout that answer as if were bragging about it?

You make your own schedule in college, you decide what you do and do not want to do, so you can make yourself tired and busy, or you can make yourself a well-rested and open person. It’s literally up to you. That answer never fails to confuse me when people describe their everyday life to be as such, as if there were nothing else from the whole day worth mentioning. Not the funny thing that your teacher did in class or how you mistook that moving leaf as a rat and had a mini heart-attack, or that really good work out in the gym.

I would rather hear about any of those things rather than about you being “tired.”

Don’t get me wrong, I know that we’re tired, I know I am tired, but what is the point of me bringing that up in conversation that isn’t followed by me going into my bed and sleeping? I don’t see one. Sometimes I feel if I am being judged by others when I say that I could relax for most of the day even though I was able to get what I needed to do, done. People ask, “Did you have nothing to do?”, but in fact I did; I just didn’t see the point in stressing myself about it.

I still got everything done.

What does stress add to my day? Nothing. What does stress take from my day? Everything. That’s why I think that it is completely OK to take a break when you need it or relax through any outlet that you find fit. You shouldn’t feel shame in having an easy day or being ahead of your schedule and sleeping in. I know that we’re all tired, so instead of always mentioning it, I wish that we would do something about it. You know yourself better than anyone, so take that and help yourself the best way that you know how.

There is nothing wrong with taking a break when you need one.