YOU DESERVE TO DO absolutely nothing

Saying it louder for the people in the back: You probably need to take a break.

- BY KELSEY HAYWOOD LUCAS

It’s 11:15 on Saturday morning, and sleeping in has never felt so good. After a beyond busy week, you're looking forward to a much-needed self-care day. But as soon as you grab your phone, panic sets in.

Right before your eyes, there's Hannah from gymnastics at the finish line of a charity 5K you were contemplating. As you continue to scroll, your feed fills with the pretty proof of everyone else's early-bird achievements: the pumpkin muffins baked by your lab partner, the leaves your bestie foraged and pressed into bookmarks, the 12-step morning routine that beauty influencer completed...again. You groan—and instantly feel guilty for “wasting” the morning on those three extra hours of sleep.

Sound familiar? That nagging feeling in the back of your head (triggered by thoughts that whatever you're doing isn’t productive enough, good enough or cool enough) is caused by time shaming...and it’s a pressure we get from our parents, teachers, friends and, yep, even ourselves.

And while it’s hardly ever intentional, the result is almost always the same: You're stuck feeling like you don’t measure up to everyone else’s seemingly fabulous lives.

Here's the good news: You're not alone. Nearly every girl on the planet feels some level of pressure to be constantly productive. The even better news? Pressing pause on your obligation overload can actually be beneficial, regardless of whatever else awaits your attention (like homework, ACT prep, piano lessons, soccer practice and your tutoring gig, just to name a few).