I know you want to work your dream job. Pass that test. Get that degree. Ace that interview. Make your parents proud. Make yourself proud.

You are staying up late and waking up early, working long hours and sacrificing your social life, because you know you need to work your ass off to get where you want to go. You know you need to put in a shit-ton of effort to create the life you have been dreaming about since you were little.

But that doesn’t mean you have to stress yourself out in the process. That doesn’t mean that you aren’t allowed to take a break, to let yourself rest so that you don’t burn out.

You are allowed to have a social life. You are allowed to go out with your friends. You are allowed to enjoy yourself in the moment instead of worrying about what you should be getting done instead. What you could have accomplished if you chose to stay home with your laptop instead of hanging out with a group.

You are allowed to use the vacation days that you have stored up to go overseas with your friends or take a weekend getaway with your person. You are allowed to use your sick days to take care of your mental health, to give yourself time to reset, even if nothing is physically bothering you. You are allowed to take a day off.

You are allowed to press snooze on your alarm when it’s a weekend and you have nowhere you need to be instead of chugging coffee and doing extra work. You are allowed to sleep for the recommended eight hours or maybe even nine or ten on occasion. You are allowed to pick a day where you stay in your pajamas and watch Netflix, without worrying about anything except what is on the screen.

You are allowed to say no when you are feeling overwhelmed. You can tell your boss that working overtime would be too hectic for you right now. You can tell your best friend that helping them study wouldn’t be a good idea because your schedule is packed. They might not be happy with you in the moment, but they will respect your decision, they will understand that you have to take care of yourself first.

Remember: You are allowed to stop checking your email after work hours. You are allowed to turn your phone off when you have a hot date. You are allowed to disconnect.

You are allowed to stop being so hard on yourself. You are allowed to give yourself a break.

Yes, you have to work your ass off to get where you want in life — but you don’t have to go-go-go until you collapse. You deserve a break. Give yourself one.