How to Be: HAPPY

I'll be the first one to admit that I'm not by any means an optimist or a naturally cheerful person, but I can honestly say that I am happy and I have learned how to be happy.  Like any of you, I have endured my fair share of rough times and I even went through a pretty dark phase, but we won't get into that.  The point is is that the dark clouds that surround you now will clear up if you let them.  I have five steps that I'd like to share with you to help get you on the right path to be happy.  These are what worked for me and I really hope they work for you too.

1) Talk to someone. Find a close friend, teacher, or relative who you trust and talk through your troubles.  You don't even need to ask for advice, and no I promise you that you aren't bothering them.  Simply addressing your problems out loud is the first step to solving your problems.

2) Listen to some good music. I don't think people understand the importance of this one, but listening to a good song will improve your mood! Whether you're having a bad day or your spirits are down, blast one of your favorite songs or artists.  For me, it was Lana del Rey.

3) Keep busy. Being busy is the best way to keep your mind off your problems.  For me, I worked, focused on school, went shopping (a lot), and went to the gym.  Which brings me to...

4) Be healthy. Working out, drinking lots of water, and having a balanced diet is essential to happiness.  When your body is happy, you will be happy.

5) Be you. You don't have to live up to anyone else's expectations, but your own.  It took me a long time to realize this, but I learned that I was happiest when I did things that I wanted to do.  Constantly trying to please others took an emotional toll on me because I felt like everything I did wasn't enough. I know it may be hard, but try to focus on yourself and not on others because at the end of the day, you only have yourself to look out for.

I really hope these five steps work for you in finding happiness like they did for me.  Even though you may be going through some tough times, just know that they will get better, I promise.