My birthday is creeping up faster than I want it to. As much as I love celebrating life, my birthday is not my favorite day of the year. My entire life, for some reason, my birthday is the one day where everything makes me upset. It's the one day of the year where I feel completely unmotivated and disappointed at any effort to celebrate.

This is called the "birthday blues," and, as strange as that sounds, it is not an uncommon feeling. It usually occurs to people, such as myself, who have high expectations of where and what their lives should be. It's easy to gloss over everything that you have accomplished and ended up feeling like time has passed with nothing to show for it.

This year, I'm going to make an effort to avoid the "birthday blues", by taking a different spin on my birthday celebration by hosting a reverse birthday party!

Here are three simple ways you could go about hosting a reverse birthday party:

1. Volunteer

Take a group of your family and friends to go volunteering with you! No matter what you volunteer your time and efforts toward, volunteering is a selfless act that betters the community and brings joy to all.

2. De-clutter and donate

I encourage you to take a thorough look at your closet and get rid of the things that you simply don’t wear. Take your gently used clothing to a donation box, The Salvation Army, or send it to a family in need. Encourage your entire family to sort through their closets and donate their items as well.

3. Write letters of appreciation

Take the time to write letters of appreciation to people you truly appreciate. Think about the postal service workers, maintenance workers, and even your favorite barista, who all make a difference in your day. Reflect on the last year of your life and thank those people who have impacted you this year.