By AMANDA PELL

COLUMNIST

September is so stupidly stressful, it’s insane. Whether you’re a freshman literally trying to figure out your entire life at once or a junior getting back into the swing of things, the pressure pours in from all sides. It doesn’t matter if you’re a straight-A student or if you just scored your dream internship, something’s always going to slip through.

Is it even possible to keep everything together?

To its credit, the University really tries to make it as easy as possible to keep your life on track when things get crazy. Between the new gym, the new food and free counseling, it’s clear that cura personalis is something it wants us to take seriously.

And why not? We all want a great resume, but it won’t mean a thing if we’re physically, mentally or spiritually unhealthy. But here’s the thing, Fordham. It’s definitely true that eating right, exercising and sleeping well are all important, but fitting those things in can be just as stressful as everything else you have going on. That’s why it’s so important to make laughter a priority. Science has proven that if you can’t let go and be silly every once in a while, you will actually physically explode.

Lighten up and be OK with looking stupid in front of other people. You’ll walk around happier, and people will probably give you more credit for not giving a damn than they would have for your efforts being perfect anyway.

Here are some of my favorite places to get a giggle in:

Fordham Experimental Theater: Fordham has three awesome comedy troupes hidden away in the Blackbox at the back of Collins Hall. Stranded in Pittsburgh is Fordham’s only long-form improv comedy troupe, Free Pizza is the club’s sketch comedy group and Fordham Standup Comedy’s members perform there every few weeks. Very seriously, laughing at and with these guys was the only reason I made it through freshman year. Check it out.

Upright Citizen’s Brigade: Amy Poehler’s famous comedy club puts on shows literally every night at its locations in Chelsea and the East Village, and usually they’re less than $10. Go see a Harold if you like improv or a Maude if sketch is more your style.

Eastville Comedy Club: This just happens to be my current favorite standup comedy club in the city, but there are actually tons across Manhattan that are all relatively cheap. Get on their mailing lists and you can typically skip the cover charge and pay only for the drink minimum.

Moral of the story: Even the really, really awful things can be funny if you want them to be, so no matter how bad your life seems, you can and should always take time out to make sure you’re laughing at it.

Life will go on either way, so you may as well be having a good time.