How many times have you read the articles “How to Live a Happier Life” “10 Steps to Happiness” “Read These Tips and Everything in Your Life Will be Perfect!” Honestly I find these articles pretty irritating because they read like hard driven facts instead of what they actually are: someone else’s ideal happiness. As promised, I’ve created a lifestyle section to my blog which I’m super nerdily amped about, and this will be my first post for the category. I want you guys to know that everything I write for these posts ,unless otherwise backed by some totally legitamate source like WebMd or Wikipedia ;), is my opinion. However, I hope that what I say can apply to you guys and bring your lives a little bit more happiness than before. Below I’ve compiled a few things that I’ve been doing this past month that have made me happier than this panda playing in the snow.

1) Let Go of the Past 

This sounds so incredibly simple, but it’s honestly one of the hardest things to do. I know I probably sound like a crazy yogi or something but I’ve been so into the “good vibes only” mantra lately and I truly think its made my life better. I’ve dropped those heavy resentments of the past because honestly, it’s exhausting to carry around. As soon as I stopped thinking about those toxic things, events, people from the past, I felt so much more blessed by the amazing people I have surrounded myself with. Like the great Taylor Swift says…..

2) Read A Book For God’s Sake

Sorry didn’t meant to get all motherly on ya but seriously, reading is one of the greatest joys in life and one that I had stopped participating in for far too long. While Netflix is definitely another great joy in my life (currently obsessed with The Fall), sometimes I feel like my brain is melting after watching episode after episode after episode. When Netflix gets concerned about how long you’ve been watching and asks if you are indeed still watching, it’s time to put down the computer and grab a book. I’m not saying go and read Beowulf or Moby Dick, unless ,you know, thats your jam, but read a trashy romance novel, a biography of your favorite celeb, ANYTHING. Below are a few books that I just could not put down.

3) Chill the Hell Out

Nobody really tells you how terrifying/stressful/I-need-a-paper-bag-to-breathe-into-scary being a second semester senior year can be. With all them fancy investment banker types talking about how they’ve already landed their dream job, it’s hard not to panic. However, after countless phone calls home crying about how I’ll never ever ever get a job, I’ve realized that’s just not true. Sure, it may not be the second I graduate, but it’ll happen and there’s no use worrying about it now. I’ve found that writing down my concerns or whatever’s on my mind in a journal has been SUPER helpful. Just to see the words written down and reading them back seems so much less threatening than having them ping-ponging around my mind endlessly. So instead of stressing, I’m just gonna enjoy this last semester of college where 3:00 is still considered breakfast time and going to the bar on a Tuesday is perfectly acceptable.

What have you guys been doing in the New Year to make your life better? You know I love to hear from all of you! PS follow me on Instagram @loansandlouboutins for tons of outfits/puppies/nyc pictures and other fun stuff 🙂