Throughout my life, especially in high school, I have always prided myself on being able to do “the most.” I’ve always taken the most difficult classes I’ve been able to, packing tons of AP and honors classes into my schedule. I’ve always joined all the honor organizations I’ve been able to, from the National French Honor Society to Quill and Scroll, a journalism honor society. I’ve joined, maintained, and held leadership positions in two “main” extracurriculars, choir and newspaper, for all four years of high school, even taking two class periods for each extracurricular my senior year. I had never taken an off period because I thought that I needed all the classes I signed up for. I felt I had to do the most.

However, this approach to life came with its challenges. My plate was always full. I didn’t have as much time to have fun or hang out with my friends as the people around me did. I was constantly up late working on schoolwork. When I did take the time to do the things that actually make me happy, I would almost feel guilty, as if there was something more productive I could have been doing. I would constantly burn myself out, and toward the end of my junior year and at the beginning of my senior year, I just had a general feeling of negativity and fatigue. Doing the most had started to mess with my mental health. At the end of last semester, I realized something had to change.

I made the decision to finally start caring about my happiness. This semester, I dropped a class that I didn’t need in order to graduate in favor of my first ever off period. Over winter break, I tried to start getting at least eight hours of sleep. I’ve started hanging out with my friends a lot more and really valuing that time together. All of these things have made me happier.

As I close out my high school career, I want to focus on myself and continue fulfilling my one word resolution: self-care.