Today I am presenting you all with a brutal, naked reality. The reality is, our health is more

important than our school work. Some of you may think, “well duh,” and shake your heads, but

I am sure every one of us has stayed up until 2 am to finish one assignment or another.

 

Do not think I am condemning you, I am guilty of this too. I am simply here to warn you,

spending too much time worrying about your work and not enough time caring for yourself will

seriously damage your mental health.

 

During my senior year of high school, with 5 AP classes, running a club, completing a senior

project, applying for college, and praying that I knew what I wanted to do with my life, I slowly

began to unravel. My mental health took a turn for the worse and I ended up seeing a

psychiatrist who diagnosed me with major depression.

 

I am not telling you this to gain your pity. I do not want it, nor do I need it. I am sharing my

painful truth so that you know, I have been there too. I pushed myself too far as well. I cried

and pulled my hair out over my homework and tests. I stayed up worrying about my future.

Mostly, I was worried that I would not be able to keep up. I felt that if I lost my footing, if I

stopped to take a break, if I failed to get that A, then all of my work would have been for nothing.

I  was quite literally driving myself insane.

 

What I forgot to keep in mind was that it is human to make mistakes. When we mess up, or get a

bad grade, we gain an opportunity to learn. That is what school is about anyway, right? Not

getting that 4.0 (although that would be great) but learning from our mistakes so that we can do

better in the future.

We do not need to be perfect students in order to be honors students. Our ambition to learn is

what makes us honors students. Always trying our best is what makes us honors students. But

when what we are doing pushes us to the point where we break, then what we are doing is no

longer our best. Our best does not have to be perfect. The GPA requirement is not a 4.0 for that

reason. If we were expected to be perfect, then what would we even be learning in the first

place?

When you begin to feel overwhelmed, do not be afraid to reach out. Your professors, your

friends, even your parents, are here to support you. Even if you do not know me, I will be there

in the lounge, hanging out, willing to lend an ear. When it feels like it is all too much, remember, you are not alone.