We have collectively spent the last couple of months talking about how awful the year 2016 was. While I am one of the first to hop on the "2016 Sucks" bandwagon, I also know that it is a new year, and the more we focus on the previous year, the more likely it is that we will end 2017 the same way. There are so many things that we can be focusing on other than the past that will make us all so much happier than 2016 did. Instead of looking back on the year that every single one of us would prefer to get rid of, try doing some of these things instead.

1. Go to the gym without forcing a resolution on yourself.

Just go and do whatever makes you feel good, especially if you've been having a bad couple of days. Burn off some of that energy and leave whatever aggression you were harboring with whatever workout you choose to do.

2. Clean your room and start from scratch as much as possible.

Get rid of clothes you don't wear, decorations that make the room feel cluttered, and get rid of all the negativity and history that you might be keeping without even realizing it. Make your space as cool as you've always wanted it to be. Cleaning your space is as much emotional and mental as it is physical.

3. Don't be afraid to ask for help.

Friends and family are so important in every situation. If you need something from them, you shouldn't be afraid to ask them for help, as long as you remember that you need to be there in return when they need help from you.

4. Save your money on something specific that you can look forward to.

Plan a trip, get a tattoo, have your hair professionally colored, do something that makes you feel good with money that you earned and saved for yourself.

5. Get outside and away from technology as much as possible.

Use your days off to go hiking, skiing, whatever it is that you like to do as long as it's outside and away from your phone.

6. Make time for yourself every day.

Do something that makes you feel good. Take a bath, read a book, watch your favorite show on Netflix or anything else that helps you unwind and let go of the tension you might have from the day.

7. Love yourself.

Focus on the things that you like about yourself. Keep them in mind throughout the day until it becomes a habit. It's harder than it sounds, and it's not to say that you won't still sometimes look at yourself and only see things that you don't like, but the more you try to focus on the parts that you love about yourself, the more you will start to realize how amazing you really are.

8. Work your hardest to let go of your past.

I don't know how to do this any more than anyone else, but that's because it's different for all of us. We all have things we're trying to let go of and it's not easy. The most important factor to letting go of anything is that you are trying, because if you don't try, you'll never get there.

We're in a new year, make the most of everything you have and let go of 2016's negativity.