In order to have full disclosure here…. I have not been happy lately.
It’s probably a combination of being terribly sick, stressed to the max, a looming graduation date, and an unsure future.
Yep. Talk about awful.
My to-do list is seeming more and more like a form of torture. (And let me tell you, school is beginning to really get in the way.)
Here are my five ways to have a happier day:
1. Scrolling through Instagram seriously makes me happy. I think I have a borderline unhealthy relationship with the iPhone app. Finding a new fun person to follow can be a highlight in my day. (Oh, and I definitely follow a bunch of Disney Channel stars… totally like a loser.)
2. Tall Skinny Vanilla Latte… yes, please. I really go out of my way for this one. On days when stress levels are running extra high, I don’t even bat an eye paying the ridiculous price for the best drink in the world.
3. My nail polish collection has gotten a bit out of hand (no pun intended). But the good news is that I typically have a few stashed away that I’ve never tried out before. I love digging through the pile of polishes and finding a new color! (Plus, as strange as it seems… painting my nails is quite therapeutic.)
4. I start and end every day reading. It’s basically a drug. I need it to clear my head before I really get going into my day… and I need it to clear my head at the end of every day! (If anyone has any book recommendations, feel free to leave them in a comment!!!)
5. Wearing ballet flats (that don’t hurt, of course) can essentially make every day a little brighter!!! There is just something about ballet flats in general that make me smile. They’re like candy… for your feet.
What do you do to make your days better??? What would be on your list of five things?
xoxo
Coffee, Pinterest, taking a drive, sitting in a quiet room with my eyes closed… which is hard when you have a one-year-old : )
Some wonderful items and ways to have a happier day indeed! I would have to add Diet Coke and Pinterest to my list too! 🙂 Love it
When I'm feeling down, I watch funny YouTube videos especially clips from Ellen or movie outtakes.
One and two are my favorites. I hope everything becomes less stressful soon!
I'm pretty positive that my skinny vanilla latte saved my sanity the other day. Highly recommend this to make any day just a little bit happier! 🙂
Thank you for this! I enjoy your blog/tumblr/postings immensely and this one really speaks to me this week! My week has been stressful as well and filled with mid-terms, papers, and to-do lists.
As for de-stress antidotes, I either let myself indulge in a cupcake (strawberry flavored is best, in my opinion), paint my toes (therapeutic, as you said), complete a round of yoga (complete with zen music and all), or I write a friend an encouraging note on cute stationary. There's something about giving someone else's life a bit of encouragement that takes away a bit of stress from my own. If you're looking for something a bit more active to relieve stress, I recommend racquetball. I recently began playing and absolutely love it! The sport really gets the endorphins flowing, plus it's different and works your body in a different way than simply running or doing yoga does.
As for book recommendations: I love novels such as Emma or Pride & Prejudice (any novel by Jane Austen is a classic, intellectual, and feminine all at the same time). The Thirteenth Tale is intriguing (more of a mystery, but well written all the same), or if you're looking for something a bit more challenging I recommend Anthem by Ayn Rand or Paradise Lost by John Milton. One more side note: the other day I felt like furthering my knowledge in anthropology (I am fascinated by the subject) and I bought a book titled Biological Anthropology and read it simply for pleasure! It was a change in pleasure reading from a fiction novel, and although it wasn't for school, I like the feeling of becoming more learned in a relaxed and enjoyable way. For a book to read, it may serve you well to read a non-fiction book in a subject that interests you, even if it's random, such as cooking or photography. Reading, when you aren't held accountable for a test or paper, is a great de-stress go-to, I'm completely convinced. Good luck!
You should read Looking for Alaska or The Fault in Our Stars! Both by John Green!
I would recommend the Daughters series… so relaxing, but really suspenceful!! 🙂 Thanks for this post!!
I think we are two peas in a pod! These five items are always making me happy (i just found instagram last weekend thanks to bff). I need good book recommendations also!
Love it!!!!
Sara
Have you tried reading the hunger games? Its phenomenal!
read the Paris Wife or Last Time I Saw Paris! They're both really interesting historical fiction. And who doesn't love reading about Paris!?
This was the perfect post for me today! I'm just like you and have to start and end the day with a book. For a quick read, I recommend "Fifth Avenue, 5 A.M.: Audrey Hepburn, Breakfast at Tiffany's, and The Dawn of the Modern Woman". The back story to the movie is interesting and it's a pretty quick read.
Skinny vanilla lattes are the BEST cure!
xo Josie
http://www.winksmilestyle.com
I remember being anxious/stressed during my last semester in college. Keep in mind that great things are in store for your future even if you don't know what those things are just yet. Your hard work will pay off! In the meantime, keep focusing on stuff that makes you happy. 🙂
Agreed… school definitely gets in the way. I need to job search but can't when I have so much homework!! This is an awesome list 🙂
I'm reading Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet right now and I love it so far!
I feel like how you feel now is how I felt last semester! My happy day list is something like 1) Watch a cute K-pop video, 2) Wear a cheerful color (like mustard yellow!), 3) Drink a steaming hot cup of tea, 4)(if she's around) play with my puppy, and 5) Take a nap!
Feel better!
I would add diet coke to that list!
Ah, I definitely feel the same! Except wearing pink and eating cupcakes help, too. 🙂
All of those make me happy too! It's funny you say that about the flats, I just had the most uncomfortable day today in my new pair! And it's so sad because they're so cute!
Love this!
*Love* your list. I've ben relying on those same things lately for the same reason!
Book Recommendations: I just finished Mindy Kaling's book which was so funny that I actually had to stop reading it before bed because I kept waking up Husband 🙂 I also just started Tina Fey's book and am re-reading Sarah Vowell's Assassination Vacation in anticipation of an upcoming DC trip.
I am the same way about my nails! I have had to resort to storing my nail polish in a plastic tub because I have acquired so many! I love trying out new ones, too! Unfortunately, I am usually painting my nails in a hurry I wish I would take more time to paint them so that it would be therapeutic for me!
Read "The Shadow of the Wind" by Carlos Ruiz Zafon!
I love Malcolm Gladwell's books (The Tipping Point, Blink, etc.), Jodi Picoult, Sarah's Key, Something Borrowed/Blue, Is everyone hanging out without me, 11/22/63
2 amazing books:
Divergent by Veronica Roth and Delirium by Lauren Oliver (mascara warning- The end of Delirium will make you CRY. I was reading it when a bunch of friends were in the room and I was so embarrassed because I was just sitting there, crying and sniffling!
For a quick entertaining read, check out "Love Among The Chickens." It's old fiction, but it's so fun- and it's free on the Kindle.
p.s. love instagram and nail polish too!
I love this list!
I love this! I need to look at these 5 ways somedays. So I pinned this!
xoxo
I LOVE the book The Summer I Turned Pretty!!!! It's amazing! It also has two other books in the series which I plan on reading as soon as I finish the first! My friend recommended it to me and am so happy they did! One of the best books out there! (alongside the hunger games of course :))
I love reading Tess Gerritsen's books. Vanished and The Sinner are my favs 🙂