It has been almost a month since I returned to school at Bridgewater State for my sophomore year (Woah, that was fast!). Over the past four weeks or so, I have not felt as stressed as I thought I would, contrary to what I believed.

Not until now.

How was my weekend, you ask? Well, I worked on Friday and Saturday night until almost midnight. On Saturday and Sunday during the day, I edited articles and worked on my mountain of homework. A couple of hours ago, I returned from work and just now, I finished said mountain of homework. As I write this, it's Sunday night at almost midnight. I am currently sitting in one of the lounges of my residence hall (I'm not in my room because I don't want to wake my roommate up with the typing of my computer and any other noise I may make.). This article, in fact, was due a solid 48 hours ago, but I, being so overwhelmed with all of my current obligations, could not find time to do my part for my Odyssey team (I'm deeply sorry to my team from Bridgewater State. I won't let you down again.)

Over the Summer, I was well aware that I was going to be in for this. I thought to myself, I'm going to be a sophomore in college who works about 20 hours a week, serves in two editing positions for two different publications, is in a committed relationship, and takes five courses. But I got this. I want this.

Now that I'm actually in the moment when I'm extremely overwhelmed and stressed past midnight, I can say that I never predicted that it would be this much of a dreadful feeling. I thought this weekend was going to be a lot easier than it actually was. I might be in bed right now getting a little extra sleep.

But you know what?

I still want to be committed to everything I am doing in college right now. If that means being in this lounge 24 hours from now just like I am tonight, then so be it. As much as I don't want that to happen, it has to if it must.

I might deny that I am complaining, but what I've said above clearly makes you think that I am. That's fine. But what I don't want you think I am doing is giving up. No. Not even close.

I am here at Bridgewater State University to pursue a degree in English with a concentration in writing and writing studies, and as I mentioned before, I am in two different editing positions. I am often asked if I want to be a teacher. But hence my concentration and how I am involved at this school, I want to write and edit. I want to be a journalist. Maybe work my way up to be an editor too. Heck, maybe I'll even write a novel. My point is that I have ideas for my future, and to get there, I have to work hard here.

Nobody said college was going to be easy. Time management is another thing and that's certainly not easy either. I realize that I could have managed time a bit better over the weekend, but nonetheless, responsibilities have been all over me and it has been a tough task to tackle them all. It definitely will continue to be over the next couple of months in the semester.

To all who are overwhelmed, whether you are in college, high school, employment, or anything at all - You might think that you are at the point where you are about to drop everything and fail miserably, but I promise that if you stay positive even in the slightest way, you will do the exact opposite. You are excellent at what you do; You just have to hang in there and make yourself determined to pull through. If you need more motivation, also remember that hard work always pays off.

I want you to know that you are not alone. And really, you don't have to be alone. Don't ever be afraid to ask for help if you really feel that you need it, because it could truly make a huge difference.

The real world is not supposed to be a piece of cake. Your attitude is the determining factor in how you'll do in the end. Keep smiling and keep being proud to do what you do. And of course, if for any reason you can't handle that much weight on your shoulders, remember that the real world is filled with options. Work hard to find yourself.