Writers 
Amara was the kind of student who always had something to do.
Between lectures, assignments, house chores, and trying to keep up with her friends, she barely had time to sit down and rest. She was proud of being hardworking, and whenever someone asked how she was doing, her usual response was, “I’m fine. Just a little busy.”
But lately, Amara had not been feeling like herself.
She often felt tired, even after sleeping. Some mornings, she rushed out of the house without eating breakfast. During lectures, she sometimes realized that she had barely taken any water. By the time she returned home, she was too exhausted to prepare a proper meal.
Still, she kept telling herself that it was normal.
“Everybody is stressed,” she would say. “This is just school life.”
One Monday morning, Amara woke up late. She quickly brushed her teeth, dressed, picked up her bag, and hurried out. She had an important lecture and did not want to miss it.
At school, her friend Chika noticed that she was unusually quiet.
“Amara, are you okay? You look tired.”
“I’m fine,” Amara replied, forcing a smile.
“Are you sure? You’ve been saying that for days.”
Amara shrugged. “I just have plenty to do. Once I finish these assignments, I’ll rest.”
Chika looked at her for a moment.
“You know, taking care of yourself is also part of your responsibility. You can’t keep pushing yourself without paying attention to how you feel.”
Amara laughed lightly. “You sound like my mother.”
But Chika’s words stayed in her mind.
That evening, Amara returned home and sat quietly on her bed. Her body felt exhausted, and she realized that she had spent the entire day rushing from one activity to another without giving herself much attention.
For the first time in a long while, she decided to pause.
She drank some water, ate a proper meal, and put her books aside for a while. She arranged her things for the next day and tried to get enough sleep.
The following morning, she still felt unwell.
This time, instead of brushing it aside, she told her older sister how she had been feeling. Her sister listened carefully and encouraged her to visit a healthcare professional.
Amara agreed.
At the health facility, she explained her symptoms and answered questions about her daily routine. The healthcare professional assessed her and discussed what might be contributing to how she felt. Amara was given appropriate advice and told what to do next.
She left with something important on her mind: she did not have to wait until she could no longer manage her daily activities before paying attention to her health.
Over the next few days, Amara began making small changes to her routine. She tried to plan her meals around her school schedule, carried water with her, and made time for rest. She also learned to ask for help when her workload became overwhelming.
She did not suddenly become perfect at managing everything. Some days were still busy, and there were moments when she forgot her plans. But she stopped treating every missed task as a personal failure.
Most importantly, she stopped automatically saying, “I’m fine,” whenever someone asked how she was feeling.
One afternoon, Chika found her sitting under a tree, eating a snack before their next lecture.
“So, how are you today?” Chika asked with a smile.
Amara smiled back.
“I’m learning to take care of myself.”
Chika nodded. “That’s good. And remember, you don’t have to do everything alone.”
Amara looked around at the students walking past them. Everyone seemed to be carrying something: assignments, responsibilities, worries, and plans for the future.
She realized that many people might be struggling quietly while pretending everything was okay.
From that day, Amara understood that being hardworking did not mean ignoring her well-being. Rest was not laziness. Asking for help was not weakness. And paying attention to changes in her health was not something she needed to postpone until life became less busy.
Sometimes, caring for yourself begins with a simple decision: to stop, listen, and take the next sensible step.
Health Lesson: Being busy does not mean you should ignore how you feel. Make room for basic self-care, and seek advice from a qualified healthcare professional when symptoms are persistent, unusual, or worrying. You deserve care, too.
