Monday Motivation: Breathe, You’re Going to Be All Right [Back to School Edition]

This Monday is , the third day in a long weekend set aside to remember and celebrate all the efforts of the labor movement in helping progress the status of workers rights. And we can talk about the state of labor in the United States for days, but I want to focus on you today.

Labor Day marks the "end of summer." As a child, when this day came around, I knew school was about to start. So for those of you about to start school again - whether it be middle school, high school, or college - remember to take a moment to breathe.

Maybe you start school in August, so you're already chugging along in the semester, but the same applies to you: remember to breathe.

Getting your education is a part to full time job, which can be easy to forget amidst all the adults-that-be saying you're lazy and worthless because you aren't even contributing back to society yet. You're often told to cherish your time doing nothing before you enter the real world. And if you get a part-time job flipping burgers or bagging groceries while going to school, you're still told you're not a real member of society yet.

But school is hard. School is filled with social pressures and unstable hormones in proximity too close for comfort. It's the beginning of the school year, but you're already dreading finals and all-nighters. You may be taking AP, IB, or other honors courses and are stressing about what your future is going to look like. What college are you going to go to? What internships can you get into? Are you going to take out loans or work your way through college?

To those who think students have it easy and dismiss their struggle, let's say a big bellowing "Fuck off."

Remember this: Being the future is a full time job and the disdain of the previous generations isn't doing them any great service.

So as the school year starts and progresses, remember to breathe. Remember that disparaging people aren't always accurate. Remember that each day you wake up, you are saying "yes" to the world. And while remembering to breathe won't make finals disappear or make douchebags less douchey, it can help to remember that you are alive and that you can continue to say "yes" again and again to the world each time you inhale.

Education is awesome, but our schools often suck. Stay strong, my friends!

What are some methods or outlets that help or have helped you cope with going to school? Share in the comments below!