Falling in love can be such a sweet, amazing feeling. You ignore everything else in the world to focus on the one you truly desire. You start acting differently, trying to get their attention and hoping they’ll just look at you once. Your appearance changes, your attitude is different, and your grades are slowly slipping. Is it worth it? Is it worth falling for someone who doesn’t see you the same way? Is it worth going through all that trouble just to get a single “hey”? Is it worth feeling the regret afterward–the pain, the sadness, the anger?

When we have a crush, it can activate high levels of dopamine. Dopamine is a chemical messenger in the brain that activates the reward circuit. So whenever we are love-struck by an individual, we undergo a pleasurable experience because of the high amount of dopamine released in the brain. It can also affect you physically. When your heart starts racing, your palms start sweating, and your cheeks turn bright red. These are all the responses our body releases when the reward circuit is triggered.

Having a crush can deeply impact our mental well-being, influencing academic performance and altering our self-perception. It has the power to change who we are as people.

Whenever we like someone, we often try to change how we express ourselves. We strive to appear more polished, cohesive, and sophisticated. This mindset can constantly mess with our heads. We think that it is necessary to look better and desirable for our crush. It can get to a point where you physically lose yourself.

Freshman Aileen Perez shares her experience on how a crush on a person pushed her to change her appearance.

“I fell in love with a guy, and I changed my appearance for him. So much that at one point, I stopped eating. Yes, I got skinny, but I was sick,” Perez said.

While having a crush can make you feel like you're on cloud nine, it also comes with its downsides. Later on in this fantasy, we often start overthinking. We begin to worry that they find us odd and want nothing to do with us. A single glance from them feels like a mixed signal. Do they like me? Do they think I'm unattractive? Am I being weird? Am I staring too much?

Freshman Samantha Martinez shares a problem she faces when she has a crush.

“Honestly, for me, when I have a crush, I tend to overthink a little by thinking they may think I'm weird for liking them,” Martinez said.

Pursuing the attention of someone we deeply admire can feel all-consuming, often diverting our focus from crucial responsibilities. This obsession can overlook important tasks, such as schoolwork, leaving us trailing behind in our studies. As a result, we might encounter stress, risk failing classes, and face the overwhelming burden of catching up. Moreover, this distraction can dim our passion for activities we once loved.

“Yes, it's happened once or twice that I find myself focusing more on other people than my daily tasks and responsibilities. For example, at the beginning of the school year, there was this guy that I was really into. In the process of wanting to be with him, I lost the desire to do my responsibilities and even things that I was really into, like my sport,” Perez said.

In the end, while the excitement of having a new crush can be exhilarating, it’s crucial to find a balance between admiration and personal well-being. Making sure to prioritize self-care and responsibilities ensures that you remain true to yourself, even through the pain of young love. At the end of the day, isn't the relationship you have with yourself the foundation of all others?