All around me, people never stop moving.   

I hear Anna-Elyse’s alarm clock going off at 7 a.m. so she can get up to go to work. I see Heather picking up her photography equipment to work on a school project. I glance at my watch and know Morgan is on her way to a University Ambassador recruitment event. I open the door and am surprised by the balloons and streamers that Emily helped put together that morning for my birthday. 

We don’t stop moving. We are constantly proving ourselves, constantly putting ourselves out there to reap the rewards of our courage and determination. We know we only have a few years until we graduate and enter the real world, so we’re pushing ourselves to our breaking points to make the most of the time we have left. It’s overwhelming and stressful, so what can we do? 

As Tom says on Parks And Recreation, “Treat yo’self.” We need to make time for ourselves. Older generations already think we’re selfish, so we might as well capitalize on that characterization and put ourselves first. If we are our own worst enemies, let’s also be our own greatest sources of support and comfort.      

I’m not saying we should forget to care for others, but we won’t be in any shape to take on additional tasks if we’re already neglecting ourselves. We should, absolutely, continue to volunteer our free time to great organizations and philanthropies, but let’s also get some ice cream once in a while.     

Treating ourselves can include doing small things to make a large impact on our moods. Let’s buy a 10th shade of purple nail polish, upgrade to a waffle cone, and buy that new pair of Chacos. Let’s blast Nicki Minaj’s “Anaconda” on repeat in the shower and dance. Let’s lay in bed on Sunday morning and read "Harry Potter" until our eyes cross. New shoes will never let you down and there’s no better way to dance than like no one is watching. Defeating Voldemort feels almost as good as defeating Georgia.     

Treating ourselves can also include doing larger things that we’ll remember forever. Let’s take a day trip to Charleston just so we can eat sweet tea glazed fried chicken at Toast. Let’s make a music video to a Taylor Swift song and then promptly delete it because it’s easily the most embarrassing thing we’ve ever done. Let’s tell someone they’re beautiful and mean it and then invite them to a movie. Not a Russell House movie, but a current movie in an actual theater -- with popcorn. What the hell, throw in some Raisinets.     

Let’s take pride in ourselves and recognize the amazing things we do every day. We get out of bed after Sandstorming all night and go to work. We throw surprise birthday parties for the people who matter to us. We test our minds and challenge our bodies and still laugh at YouTube videos. If nothing else, we’re still better than Clemson.