We've all heard the phrase "the best things in life are free." It's all about your outlook and choosing joy each day rather than allowing the stresses of life bring you to an "Eeyore" state of mind. Trust me, I understand being stressed, and I am the world's worst about getting anxious over small things and being a perfectionist about circumstances that won't really matter in the long run. I have discovered five of the best, little things that can make a stressful (or even a great day) that much better; "the simple pleasures of life," as my parents call them.

The First Scoop of Peanut Butter

When your mom scrapes the last teaspoon of peanut butter from the bottom of the jar, you know what time it is. Time to reach into the stockpile in the pantry and find a new jar of creamy JIF that is about to make your day. You take the very first huge dollop of peanut butter out of the jar with a butter knife and relish in the severe sense of accomplishment as if you've just earned the highest grade on a stats exam in a class of 200. It's a great feeling to say the least.

A Good Black Pen

When you’re in class taking pages of notes for an hour and a half, the last thing you want to use is a squeaky pencil with lead that won’t stop breaking. You reach into the depths of your backpack and find a forgotten, black, ballpoint pen that has barely been used. You begin to write and all of a sudden feel like your hurried, chicken-scratch handwriting becomes calligraphy right before your eyes. It glides across your paper, and, for the first time in this boring 8 a.m. class, you don’t mind taking notes.

Encouraging Texts/Voicemails

You are having one of those days. You failed an exam, your best friend is upset with you for seemingly no reason and your Lit professor decided to make class extra long and boring today. Then you hear that riveting sound; the double vibration of your iPhone. When you open the text, you read the most heartfelt, encouraging note from your #1 fan every day of the week: your dad. It’s amazing how words can completely transform your day. Thanks dad!

Finding a Pack of Gum

You went out to lunch with one of your friends, and, as much as you love it, she unfortunately chose Italian. You love Italian food every other time, except today your lunch date happened an hour before you are about to go in for a job interview. You don’t have time to drive home to brush your teeth, but the garlic stench is overwhelming, and you feel like a fire-breathing dragon spewing chicken parmesan instead of flames. You reach into your purse desperately, and the heavens seem to open when you find a pack of spearmint gum. Finding gum is always a game changer.

A Fast Gas Pump

You’re in a major hurry on the way to dinner with your boyfriend at your favorite restaurant with a cute outfit that you picked after trying on 15 different combinations. You whip into a gas station in the frustration of being late again and select the regular option at the gas pumps. It happened when you least expected it, but when you discover the gas is shooting into the 30-gallon tank of your oversized Land Rover in a matter of seconds, it almost brings you joy you didn’t know was possible in the midst of your stressful day.

Those 5 things may seem like exaggerations, but in this busy, chaotic life, we need to be thankful in all things, especially those simple pleasures. We have been given much yet deserve little, so take note of those little things that can make your day and see how positivity and joy replace stress and anxiety!