Pharrell Williams Knows What’s Up

Some of you may have heard the fairly new song by Pharrell Williams, “Happy.” Personally, this song is on my emergency “feel-good” playlist. Whenever I am having a bad day, sometimes I really just need someone to remind me that I have a lot to be thankful for and that it is my choice to be happy. As I have been having one of the most stressful months of my life, I discovered some truly golden keys to happiness and eliminating (or even reducing) stress. Let me tell you what I have been doing to be happier.

1)     Put it in perspective. I am the queen of overreaction. However, I am learning to finally look at my problems in a new light and consider them in the grand scheme of everything. If you can still eat, breathe and drink, you will live. Yes, failing that test might make it difficult to get an A in a class, or you have a lot of projects due in one week and you feel like you don’t have time to do it all. Yes, this makes life a little more hectic, but you will survive! If it is not critical to survival, you do not have to stay up all night worrying about it.

2)     Treat your body like a temple. I know you have heard it a million times, but you really are what you eat. If you eat fast food every day, you are not going to feel so fast. If you eat healthy, your body will be able to utilize those nutrients and you will have more energy. Also, don’t forget to exercise! Exercise releases endorphins, which increases happiness. If you are like me and hate going to a gym and using machines, sign up for classes! I got to zumba, yoga, and kick-boxing classes, and I felt like a new woman afterward. I feel like, after going through a tough workout, that I can conquer the world.

3)     Do what makes you happy. If you like getting on Pinterest, don’t deprive yourself because you feel like it is a waste of time. Nothing that makes you happy is a waste of time. It is simply a matter of balance. If your hobbies are not exactly productive, limit yourself to an hour or so per day to do this hobby. However, make sure that you do carve out time to fulfill your hobbies.

4)     Embrace who you are. I know that, sometimes, I wish I could be a different person. Sometimes I wish I were not so emotional and caring and anxious, but nothing is going to change that. I will always be the same person on the inside, so it is time to accept that fact. When you think of these “weaknesses” as strengths, you will be able to turn those thinks you dislike about yourselves into powers that make you stronger and unique. Instead of worrying that my empathetic personality will make me a pushover or will lead me to hurt feelings, I use my empathy to be a better person. Whenever I am doing things for other people, I am happy. The more I use my strengths to make others happy, the better I feel about myself. Really take time to evaluate what makes you special and how you can use it to your and others’ benefit.

Really though, it is not anyone’s responsibility to make you happy but your own. Until you learn how to create your own happiness, you will rely on others who will, inevitably, fail you. People are generally kind at heart, but they will always worry about their own happiness more so than others’ happiness. So take time to be alone and hang out with yourself. Get to know yourself and realize that the key to happiness is in your own hands. You just need to want it enough. XOXO Frostburg!