That time of year has come. The season of sunglasses is officially among us and I, just like the rest of you, are all too eager to whip out my favorite pair of shades (mainly so I can avoid making eye contact with people in public, but that's a whole other topic for another article). Unfortunately, I'm not writing this to tell you about the latest fashion trends and how to make a statement this summer, but instead, I am writing to ask you to do yourself a favor and leave your shades on the shelf these next few months.

So maybe you don't literally have to leave your sunglasses to their lonesome this time of year (we don't want you blinded by the sun, after all), but you owe it to yourself to look at these next few months with every ray of sunshine they hold.

What I'm trying to say is that metaphorically, leave your sunglasses aside and look at life in the bright and sunny light that you have the opportunity to. Every day we are given the chance to look at our lives in a positive way, and I'm asking you to forget about the shades and the negative thoughts that come with them. Instead, look at each day in full-on, beautiful sunlight.

It's often so easy to look at life in a negative light, especially this time of year. You may be stressing over a summer job you absolutely loathe, missing your friends from college who are now scattered across the state and country and envying every perfect beach body you see on social media when you are far from having one, but that is no reason to ignore all of the sunny things that are right in front of you.

Take each day and use it to its full potential. Remember that life is what you make of it, and if you want your crappy summer job to not be so crappy, then start looking at it in a more positive light. You would be surprised how much the right attitude can turn the things you hate most into something much more tolerable. While your friends from college may be far away, look at it as much-needed alone time to focus on yourself as well as your friends from home and your family. Dreading your beach body? There is no better time to start a healthy lifestyle than today, and summer is the perfect time of year to do it with no classes and way fewer distractions.

At the end of the day, whether you are happy or sad is ultimately up to you. Your mood is a mindset, and you are capable of having a sun-filled day just as much as anyone else. So instead of rocking your shades this summer, you may just want to leave them behind.