I realized this slowly over the last few months after I had been going to bed at 3am everyday for over two weeks. I couldn’t stay awake through any of my classes, my graders were suffering, and so were my relationships. I was getting everything done that I needed to, but none of it was done well and I wasn’t proud of any of it. I realized that for me to feel normal and healthy again, I needed to recognize my own needs: sleep, eating well, and taking time to do the things I wanted to and enjoyed doing.
This doesn’t mean I quit everything, nor does it mean I stopped fulfilling my obligations to my teachers, my teammates, and my friends. Instead, I asked for help. I gave myself room to breathe and tried to give myself a break when I was overwhelmed. My team understood when I told them I couldn’t do all of the work I had committed to, and they helped me take tasks off of my to-do list.
I had to take care of myself in order to be proud of anything I was doing, and to make everything I was doing to feel meaningful. Doing this has made me alert and proactive again, and has allowed me to really enjoy my time in FIRST Robotics.
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