Now that 2017 is slowly coming to an end, it’s time to start planning out our New Year’s resolutions. Granted, most of these goals are something like “sleep more” or “work out more,” which basically translates to “do the same exact thing as before.”

So instead, let’s take a different approach.

This upcoming year, we all have to remember that the most important person is ourselves. We’re often so caught up in making sure that the people around us are happy and satisfied that we forget that it matters if we are too. It matters and it’s important.

With that being said, just remember a few important things.

Throughout the course of our lives, we will meet countless people. Some will play bigger roles than others, but they will all be present in our lives regardless. Some of these individuals will be toxic and make us feel inferior and worthless.

It’s important to remember that other people’s opinions of us are not always the right ones. As a result, it’s our job to know who we are and what we stand for and not let anyone get in the way of that.

So drop the toxic people. Life is too short to have to constantly deal with people who make us feel like we don’t matter or that we aren’t good enough.

Surround yourself with the people who bring you up and encourage you to feel as if you can do anything. Surround yourself with positive energy and know that it will bring positive things to you.

Secondly, life is too short to constantly be worrying about our deadlines. Of course, I’m not saying to completely disregard these things (please don’t), but don’t forget to occasionally take a breather and do something to relax. Whether this is reading a book, going to the park, watching Netflix, or even just lying in bed while staring at the ceiling, do it.

Make time for your body and mind to recuperate and relax and I promise you that you will feel better.

One of the most important things I have learned in life so far is that worrying does me absolutely no good. If you’re faced with a negative situation, take a step back and ask yourself, Can I do something about this? If you can, why worry? And if you can’t do anything about it… why worry?

Constantly worrying and being stressed out will cause nothing but sickness and everyone hates getting sick. So through transitive property, you should hate worrying too (I hate math).

Lastly, it’s inevitable that our lives aren’t always rainbows and butterflies. Bad things happen and things don’t always go the way we want them to.

However, we can’t forget that we’ve got people to turn to when life gets tough.

Although it’s an amazing thing to be independent, it’s okay to ask for help. We can’t always take on our problems by ourselves because if we did, we’d explode. So even if it means that you just rant about your problems to a close friend or family member, then do it. At least you’ll get some of the weight off your shoulders before you can go back to tackling your problem.

Point is, don’t be afraid to ask for help and don’t deny the fact that you might need help if you do.

All in all, although some people may not share the same sentiment as me, 2017 is turning out to be an amazing year (even if it is ending soon). But let’s make 2018 better.

So let’s make this our shared New Year’s Resolution List:

1. Drop the negative and toxic people in our lives.
2. Take breaks and stop worrying.
3. Ask for help when needed.