Taiwanese society has long been proud of our resilience against hardships. Through quotes such as “beginnings are always the hardest,” we reassure ourselves against the obstacles we face and always push forward without looking back. While this is a characteristic that we pride ourselves on, sometimes it is a setback instead of a step forward. What happens when you face challenges within yourself? What happens when you are in conflict with your mind?

Between studying for finals to maintain our GPAs while juicing every last bit of our brain cells for creative and sincere college essays, self-care is a topic that seems almost too luxurious to think of. As a senior struggling with exactly that, every day seemed like a discord with myself: are college essays my priority, or is it my finals coming up in a week? Or do I earn a break from being productive for the entirety of last week?

The ongoing conflict in our brains is enough to set us on the brink of destruction. However, most of us keep it in, bottling our emotions, holding our worries for ourselves and ourselves only, wanting to be seen as resilient, afraid of being shown as weak.

Fortunately, with social media’s recent focus on mental health, some of us are aware of the long-lasting consequence that mental toll could cause. With the help of the Student Council, my school reinvited the concept of self-care back into our lives. By reintroducing the long-neglected counseling office and their mission of helping all students, we are encouraged to take the burden off our shoulders, to express our inner conflicts, and have the opportunity to heal in these stressful times.

In times of stress, my community has often found strength in quiet resilience. However, it is always important to look up from our work, and to remind us to treat ourselves with love and compassion.