5 ways to be happy today.

It's so easy to get bogged down in the stress of every day life, which is understandable when you have work to go to, homework to do, bills to pay, emails to answer, TV shows to watch, books to read, chores to do, friends to see, gifts to buy, and in the midst of all of it, endless interruptions. All of this stress can lead to anger, sadness, frustration, doubt, discouragement, grief, and a number of other negative feelings. While your to do list keeps growing, so does your patience, which can lead to people getting tired of your negativity leaving you lonely and depressed.

So why not skip all of that grief, and just take some time every single day (yes, every day!) to try and just be HAPPY? We all have things that are weighing us down, but there's no need to let them keep you down when there's so many wonderful things to be happy about. Marilyn said it best:

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Here are some ways for you to be happy today!
Listen to some upbeat music. Whenever I'm in a foul mood, music can always take me out of it. Sometimes, I'll listen to a song, and in my head I keep telling myself that I'm not going to sing along, but then I can't help it, and I start belting out the lyrics. Here is my "happy" playlist on Spotify. It's a mix of a little bit of everything: 90's, country, pop, oldies, covers, hip hop, indie, and a few songs that just make me want to dance!

Reach out to someone you haven't spoken to in awhile. Sometimes, I catch myself looking in my Facebook news feed, and something will pop up about a person that I haven't spoken to in awhile (sometimes for years), and it'll make me sad because I'll think of a fun memory we shared and I'll just miss them. I'm pretty nostalgic sometimes. Don't you think it would be a wonderful idea to reach out and talk to an old friend? It'll give you a change from your day-to-day life and give you a chance to reminisce on some fun times.
Make a list of your talents. If I try really hard at something and fail, I get so discouraged with myself and want to give up on so many things. It makes me forget about the things that I do well because all I can think about is the one thing that I messed up on. I know not everyone likes to toot their own horns, but it's important to remember the things that you excel at and eventually you can work on the areas that need some improvement.
Take 30 minutes to an hour to be unproductive. A lot of people are on the go all the time. I remember the first time I watched The Challenge with Mary-Kate and Ashley. Mary-Kate character was talking about her twin sister that she just didn't understand because she was always "like go go go, but where is she going?" And that always stuck with me, because it's so easy to get caught up in the future and worrying where you'll end up, instead of living in and enjoying the present. An easy way to start enjoying the present is to just be unproductive for at least a little bit of time each day. If you work a 9-5 office job, actually take a lunch break instead of working through it. Take some time at home to read, paint, crochet, or watch a sitcom. Do something that isn't necessarily going to benefit you ten years from now. Do something for you every single day.
Get philanthropic. Not everyone has time to go down to the local soup kitchen and serve food to the homeless or strap on a helmet and build someone a house, but social media makes it so easy to get involved. Being philanthropic isn't just about raising money, it's also about raising awareness. One of my favorite organizations is Love is Louder. It is a movement and online community that helps to support anyone who has ever felt mistreated, misunderstood, or alone. To get involved, you don't have to go to rallies or hold an event to raise funds (though of course you're welcome to). All you have to do is small acts of kindness in your every day life to let people know that they're wanted and you care about them. Easy as pie. Find an online community that supports a cause that you're proud to be a part of, and join it. Any kind of involvement in philanthropy always makes everyone feel good about themselves.

Don't let life's stresses get you down. As the old saying goes, "Don't worry. Be happy."