As college students, we are so inherently obsessed with compiling the perfect resume and CV with wide depth but also breadth. So many of us are too busy hustling and bustling to our next class, job or meeting that we are forgetting ourselves in the midst of it. Cheers to setting ourselves up for success! But don’t raise the glass until your mental health is in the right place. We must know when to make the necessary sacrifice so that we can be successful in what truly makes us passionate and contributes to our future. 

A majority of the time, a student’s downfall escalates when we take on too much too fast, and we fail to realize we are just one person and can’t do everything perfectly all the time. When we overwhelm ourselves, it’s easy to look like everything in our lives is going great, and from the outside that may be true. But at the same time, deteriorating mental health can happen very quickly if we don’t take care of ourselves and prioritize what will improve ourselves.

Sometimes you have to make sacrifices to make yourself happier and healthier, and that is completely okay. In society, there is this pressure and stigma that if you prioritize certain things, you are failing at the other things or that you can’t do it all. But making choices on what to give your full energy to rather than spreading yourself paper thin across a million different things isn’t a sign of weakness, it’s a sign of strength and maturity.

Some examples of this are dropping a class so you are taking less credits and can succeed in all of your other ones. You will feel much better and less stressed if you are in this position, and your GPA will thank you. If you need to take an extra semester, then do so. It’s not worth the cost of your mental health to squeeze everything into your schedule until you are completely burnt out.

We can’t succeed or be our best selves if we are in distress or experiencing anxiety. If you really want to give your all and be the best you can be, sometimes that means making sacrifices so you can devote your energy to things that improve your mental state and help you accomplish your goals and be productive. 

Taking care of yourself is so important, especially during our stressful college years. Remember that nothing is worth the sake of your mental health and wellbeing. College will come and go, but you may deal with the consequences of stress and anxiety for much longer than that.