As 2017 came to an end, I reflected on what a year it was. I worked, A LOT. I cried, for happy and for sad reasons. I traveled, I started this blog (yay). The list goes on and on. But one of the things that stood out about 2017 was, how fast the time truly came and went. I constantly felt busy, rushed, stressed. I felt like “being so busy” was an ongoing issue in my life this year.While it is a blessing, I feel like it did take a toll on me. My New Years resolution for 2018 is to take more time being happy.

We all work, or have school or other obligations that take up a big chunk of our time, which is fine. We have events to go to and family to see and if you guys are anything like me, you want to do it all. But sometimes you get so tired and you spread yourself so thin, that these things aren’t even enjoyable anymore.

The good part? YOU can choose how you spend your time and what makes you happy (shocking, I know). But honestly, be realistic about the hours you have in your day/week/month. Sometimes, yes, you technically have 45 minutes after work and before your spin class to get a bite with someone you’ve been wanting to catch up with. But, will you just be stressed if you’re constantly rushing around? Chances are, yes.

“Being happy” is kind of a huge project to take on so I’ve compiled a few tips to making the most out of your days and more importantly, being happy ❤ ❤ ❤

• Calm down – take a deep breath, and step away, even for a minute. If you start to feel yourself spiraling, just breathe and try to calm yourself down. Cleaning always helps me, so I’ll do that if I’m feeling overwhelmed. Count to ten, drink some tea, get an essential oil diffuser and dump eucalyptus in that thing, whatever it may be.
• Make a List – you guys know this is always my go to, and I get that some people don’t want or like to make lists. But I’m still going to tell you to make a list :). Try making one just on Sunday night, make a list of things you want to do that week that are important to you. I’m going to start adding things like, getting into bed by 9:30pm or reading for 30 minutes.
• Leave an open day – I’m so used to having something every single day after work, because if the day is open, I usually schedule something on it. Whether it’s hanging out with friends, going to see a family member, going to the gym, etc. But try leaving one day open. Pretend that day is full and you can’t do anything after work. It will free up time you didn’t even know you had.
• Get rid of the guilt – STOP DOING THINGS BECAUSE YOU FEEL GUILTY. You may think you’re doing the right thing, but if you’re hurting yourself to make someone else happy, are you really?
• Work – leave it at work. I don’t have my work emails linked to my phone. The little notification drives me crazy and there is no way I’d be able to ignore it if it popped up on my phone. So, I’ve chosen to not have it on there altogether. If you don’t have this option, try to limit yourself to the number of times you can check it per day.

I know 2018 is going to be an awesome year, I can just feel it. I want to accomplish things and grow and learn, etc. etc. But, I want to do all of this while taking care of myself. Being happy is my number one goal in 2018. I hope it is for you too.

B