5 Tips to Savor The "Little Things" in Life

Life is always looming. There are things to fix, impending deadlines, and people that you can't please. We can let this sweep us away, pulling us into a vicious cycle of stress and disappointment- but what kind of a life is that?

While it's true that there are some things that just can't be avoided- things that can't be left broken, deadlines that must be met and people that we must please- it's important to appreciate the slower, kinder moments.

Two months ago, I was your typical workaholic. I worked two jobs for a total of 50 hours a week, when I wasn't working I was writing 0r studying. No matter all that, it was never enough. I was constantly running myself into the ground; working every day of the week until I finally got sick or injured and had to stay home. I was so worried about keeping myself afloat and making it work in the Bay Area that I sacrificed my time and well-being for a better paying, too fast pace of life.

When the tides turned, my family moved and I decided to stay in California, I decided I needed a change. Sacrificing my health and well being was no longer an option- so I quit a job and started dog sitting. With 20 hours of extra time per week, I have to remind myself that it's okay to focus on reconnecting with myself.

Some things that I have been doing in an effort to appreciate myself and my life more:

1. Stop Trying to Maintain The "Good Girl" Persona: Perfection is an unattainable idea. You can't please everyone, and even if you can, you'll tear yourself apart trying to maintain it. It's okay to disappoint people. It's okay to do things for yourself. It's okay to be a "bad girl" sometimes. Live your life for you and experience things. An example that I still think of all the time, is a concert that I missed out on so that I could finish a paper for AP English. My two best friends had a blast without me and ended up in the front row and they sure as hell remember the concert- I can't even remember what the paper was about.

2. Stop Trying to Change the Way You Look: I want to start this by saying that I am not suggesting that you let yourself go. Please continue to improve your quality of life by eating in a way that is beneficial for your body and exercising in ways that feel good and promote your health. However, if you've run yourself into the ground and need to take some time to recover, listen to your body. I'm not saying to let your workout regimen slip, but if you injure your shoulder, don't work out arms for a few days. If you however, are craving a run- go run. But do all of this, not because you're unhappy with appearances, but because you want to feel better. If you can't look in the mirror and love yourself as you are now, it's unlikely that you'll ever be satisfied in the future.

3. Appreciate Things That Feel Good: This seems like a give in, and it should be. Unfortunately, in a results-driven world people are taught to not only ignore pleasure, but be ashamed of it. We are told that we can't eat candy because there's no health value, we can't talk about sex because of all kinds of stigma or cuddle for long because there are things to do. The answer, and what no one tells us is that we can do these things in ways that optimize our existence. Some of the happiest people I know have very sexually free spirits or enjoy things like a glass of wine and chocolate every night. They feel solidly in their own skin because they allow themselves to take pleasure in the things that may not be the best for success. Life is about living, right? So why aren't we allowed to enjoy thing that make us feel alive?

4. Learn to be spontaneous: Yeah, this sounds contraindicative. Well, we're rolling with it anyways. When I first moved back to California from Texas, I was constantly stressed. I rarely laughed and faced everything with a "resting bitch face". I wound myself so tightly that I didn't know how to let loose which made life very stressful and unsatisfying: I felt satisfied when I was being productive and guilty whenever I did anything fun and laid back. The best way to start doing this is to take something that you have deemed a "guilty pleasure" and change your personal stigma. I used to get so upset with myself whenever I watched TV. I felt like I was wasting my life and just throwing my time out the window- I mean I watched 14 seasons of Supernatural, I've spent a lot of time in front of a screen. Now, I've decidedly let myself enjoy the hobby in moderation. It feels like a treat to be able to catch up with the show with my best friend every week.

5. Smile More: Tie it all together. Cuddle with loved ones. Eat good chocolate and sip good wine. Listen to Christmas music. Go to a park and look at cute dogs. Look in the mirror and say, "goodness, I fucking love you." Do something because it pleases and benefits you. Follow your intuition and just run and jump into the water! Let yourself stay up late and connect with people. Take off on a day trip to somewhere you've never been before. Take yourself out on a date. Live life in a way that makes you happy and be a person that you're proud of, even if someone else isn't.

No one else is living your life, you are- you only get one assured shot at this and how freaking disappointed are you going to be if you look back in a few years and have to say "I missed out" because you weren't being pensive enough with your own happiness.