Let those four words sink into your brain for a minute.

Something that most college students have to deal with, including myself, is learning to practice self-care. Everyday there is something new and exciting happening, and your freshman year you definitely feel that you need to join as many clubs and organizations as possible. Not one of these organizations will tell you how drained you will feel as you haphazardly roam around campus, running from one activity to the next.

It can be easy to lose bits and pieces of yourself as you go though your first year of college. As a freshman, I found myself anxious constantly, worrying so much about classes and exams that oftentimes I would avoid going out with friends on the weekend or going to the gym. At the end of my first year, I did well in all of my classes, but I was completely mentally drained and none of my clothes seemed to fit right anymore.

I came home for the summer determined, wanting to figure out where I had gone wrong during my first year away at school. The answer: I let my anxiety win and wipe away my need to practice self-care. I shed the weight I gained my freshman year and then some, along with working on a plan for how be less anxious when I came back to campus.

The bottom line, going back to my original point, is that you are worth it. You are worth taking at least an hour out of your day, everyday, to do something that makes you happy. That can be anything from hanging out with friends to getting a quick workout in to joining that new club on campus. I fully believe that it does not matter how well you do in your classes at the end of the day if your mental health is completely destroyed.

Run with your passions. They will keep you grounded and make you want to keep moving forward with something. You do not always have to do things alone, and it is okay to turn to others and say that you need help.

For the first time in what feels like forever, I am choosing to take time for myself each and everyday, whether that be in the form of workout or getting dinner with my friends. To all my fellow anxious girls in college, please do not forget about yourself as you move through your collegiate dreams. Know your body and listen to it when it says it's time for a break. One breath at a time, because while there will always be exams and papers, tomorrow is a new day to explore and adventure. Don't let anxiety control what you do with those days.