I was going to write my first editor’s column about the over-involved high school student, but I didn’t have time. Many students experience similar dilemmas firsthand, but many are also too busy to recognize they are the overwhelmed, overachieving teens I’m talking about.

As a primary victim of this strenuous scenario, I can attest to the increased stress level. With tennis, three AP classes, four clubs, and college applications sitting on my back, it can be rather difficult to find way to a more leisurely lifestyle. Some days I even find it difficult to eat and sleep the way a growing teenager should. Balancing practices, matches, studying and writing papers consumes more time than I actually have, which takes a toll on my mental and physical health. But I know I’m not the only one suffering.

Whether you’re buried in homework, participating in athletics, or swamped by your job, you know the emotional, mental, and physical strains I’m talking about. The consequences of such involvement may lead you to rethink your schedule.

The repercussions of leading a life of over commitment can be more harmful than we think. A 2008 The New York Times reported that an elite New York high school instituted the requirement that all students have a lunch period when administrators noticed many of their students had full schedules that didn’t include time to eat. I know a multitude of people that just couldn’t work lunch into their schedules as well, which is not favorable for stimulating the mind in a seven hour school day but also weakens the immune system.

In an interview with The Washington Post, the chief of medicine at Georgetown University Hospital said that she encounters many high school students with common symptoms of depression, stomach problems, exhaustion, headaches, and irritability, all of which she believes are symptoms of stress from over scheduling.

So we ask ourselves, if we’re too busy to eat, sleep, and maybe even breathe sometimes, why are we involved in so many activities? Why don’t we just quit? It could be the looming anticipation of college applications and the need for good credentials, or just the fact that we enjoy everything we do that it’s too hard to choose between activities. But what happens when all that we love to do and have to do is taking a toll on our well-being and sanity? We don’t throw wild fits, we don’t break down, we don’t give up. We prioritize.

It’s up to you to decide what is most important to you. Ask yourself some constructive questions this time. Which activities or classes do you appreciate the most? What do you find yourself dreading? Is that AP math course you anticipate with extreme anxiety really relevant to your life plan? Just remember to immerse yourself in the activities that are most important to you because you’ll find those to be the most rewarding.