Life's a trip, it has its good and bad, and everyone has tough days. It's easy to get wrapped up in the bad and if you're like me and you were blessed with a mind that likes to run around in circles. When this happens it's easy to forget how lucky you are to be here, how lucky you are to have everything you have in life. Here are five things you can think about that will bring a smile too your face and help you realize everything happens for a reason.
Friends
Unless you're a hermit, there are some people in your life that you can call your friends. When life really starts to get crazy and stressful it's easy to forget how important these people are. An easy way to put a smile on your face is to text or call a good friend about something dumb/weird/funny that happened between you. Just bringing up something crazy that happened will help you clear your head of the stress that has built up. Make a habit of calling old friends to stay in touch, it can work wonders to help you smile after a long day.
Family
Blood will always be thicker than water, and its easy to forget that even though friends may come and go, your family will always be there. Unfortunately time makes friends grow apart sometimes and you can always make new friends, but no one can replace your family. That kind of connection is unlike any other. There nothing that puts a smile on my face like when I get a text from my mom or sister. We may be 88.3 miles away, but when I'm talking to them it makes me feel at home again, and that will always put a smile on my face.
Hard work
It may be weird, but to me nothing makes me feel better than working hard. Taking time to reflect on the work you did (or didn't) do can help you realize that you are continuously moving towards becoming a better you. Self-reflection is a great trait to have and one that will help you do stuff you've only ever once dreamed about. If you are honest with yourself it will give you a sense of clarity that will wash away the stress you have built up over the day.
The roof over your head
I'm going to guess that if you're reading this, odds are you most likely have a home to go to every night. It could be your parents' house, a dorm, a fraternity/sorority house, or your apartment, you should be grateful you have a place to lay your head at night. It may be something everyone takes for granted but having a personal space to call your own, a place where you can take your pants off the moment you walk in the door, a place that embodies who you are is an incredible thing. Take a moment to think about how lucky you are to have a warm bed, appreciate the small things, they make all the difference.
You're alive and young!
Life's weird and it's becoming more and more taboo to be what most people would like to call "normal." So you need to remember to embrace the good, the bad, and the weird. If you have your health, some friends and some family you have what you need. Remember that life is short, really short, so you need to embrace the time you have. You only have so long being young and you want to make the most of it before you have to use a cane and question whether you're about to fart or crap yourself.
So when life is pulling you down, just smile, everything is going to be alright. The stress you're feeling now will subside, and the long nights, hard work, lost relationships are all making you a better person. It may be hard to see it in the moment, but if you remind yourself of these five things every night you are feeling like you can't take it anymore I'd bet money that you'll fall asleep faster and sleep better.
