How to be Happy

1. Take pleasure in all of the small things.
2. Realize how small you actually are in this big world.
3. Know whatever you're going through is just a  small segment of your life span.
4. Change your way of thinking. If you catch yourself thinking something negative, try to turn it into something positive.
5. Stop complaining. It's easy to find the bad in something. Take the road less traveled and find the good.
6. Don't worry about what other people think.
7. Don't worry about the past.
8. If you're not in a good mood, put yourself in one.
9. Get lost in a book.
10. Watch a happy movie.
11. Do something nice for someone.
12. Play with a pet.
13. Go with the flow. It's okay as it is. It doesn't always have to be how you think it should be.
14. Get more sleep.
15. Meditate.
16. Spend time with people you care about.
17. Find hobbies that make you feel good.
18. Learn to love yourself.
19. Find the time to relax.
20. Enjoy nature.
21. Don't be afraid of new experiences.
22. Be grateful. Know that someone will always have it worse than you. It's not as bad as it seems.
23. Have a good attitude.
24. Let go of things and people that are holding you down.
25. Always smile. Be the person who smiled and didn't get a response, not the one who didn't smile back.
26. Disconnect from social media. Seeing all of the negative can affect your way of thinking.
27. Dance to your favorite song.
28. Find something that inspires you.
29. Don't compare your life to others.
30. Be present in everything you do. 
31. Get up early.
32. Get things done.
33. Know that happiness doesn't necessarily come from material things.
34. Find a job you love.
35. Be healthy. Your physical health can have a factor in your emotional health.
36. Know that everything will be okay.

Benefits of Yoga

           Yoga comes with many benefits, as you have probably already heard. I can honestly say that yoga has changed my life for the better, and I'm not exaggerating. It has become less of a hobby and more of a lifestyle. Before I get into the benefits of yoga, first we must look at what yoga is.

          It is hard to discuss an exact definition of yoga because yoga is your own personal journey. Yoga is said to unite the body, spirit, and mind. It can be physical yoga poses (Asana), meditation, or both. For me, yoga is also a way to harmonize with my inner self and nature; I usually do yoga outside. You can do yoga at home or in a class.

         With that being said, there are many types of yoga, which come with different benefits. I will do a breakdown of the different types of yoga in a later post, but for now, lets discuss why you should do yoga in general.

1. It builds strength.
2. It improves your flexibility.
3. It increases blood flow.
4. It improves your posture.
5. It drops your blood pressure.
6. It helps depression.
7. It helps you relax.
8. It boosts your immune system.
9. It increases your awareness of your body and environment.
10. It helps you sleep better.
11. It helps with migraines.
12. It improves balance.
13. It helps with stress.
14. It helps anxiety.
15. It boosts your mood.
16. It helps arthritis and back pain.
17. It improves lung capacity.
18. It helps with weight loss.
19. It helps you focus.
20. It helps with PTSD.
21. It gives you inner peace.
22. It improves brain function.
23. It helps balance blood sugar levels.

With all of the benefits,  you definitely should try yoga. Remember, you do not have to be flexible or strong to start doing yoga, so give it a try. Here is another great article that talks about the benefits of yoga.

Signs it's the End of the Semester

1.) You're trying to figure out how many meal plans you have left and see that you have a ton left, so you'll be making a lot of trips to the cafeteria OR...

2.) You have to buy actual groceries at the end of the semester because you used all of your meal plans.

3.) Remember when you ate semi-healthy? And went to the gym? Good times. Hello stress eating.

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4.) You went from dressing up nice at the beginning of the semester to looking like you're sporting Kanye West's clothing line.

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5.) Unless you have presentations, which is another sign it's the end of the semester. Fun.

6.) You stopped doing your assigned readings, although you may have never started.

7.) Everything is due at the same time.

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8.) You really want to skip class, but they might go over what's on the final that day.

9.) You don't even want to hear the word "final" after all of the homework you just finished.

10.) Maybe you didn't finish your homework. Now's the perfect time to procrastinate, right?

11.) You think about all of the things you have to do. You watch a marathon of your favorite TV show on Netflix, while continuing to think about all that you have to do.

12.) Because of waiting until the last minute, you have to stay up all night every night to do homework and study for finals.

13.) And that means lots and lots of coffee.

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14.) You try to calculate exactly what you need to make on your upcoming papers and finals to get the letter grade you want.            

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15.) You should have known when you said you'd start studying earlier at the beginning of the semester that you wouldn't.

16.) You'll have several breakdowns. You may shed a few tears.

                              


17.) Everyone starts asking for bonus points.

18.) The only thing helping you make it through the last of the semester is your countdown until the last day.

                        
                                    

16 Ways to Make Great Grades

As a college student, my main goal is to achieve great grades, and I'm sure that is your goal too. I know people have different standards for what a good grade is. C's get degrees, right? But you should always work your hardest, because that's how you'll get the best outcome. Aim for the highest grade, even if you think it's impossible.

Here are 16 tips to guarantee great grades:

1.) Go to all of your classes. Even if it seems like it's a class that you can miss, don't. It will always end up hurting you. You will either miss something important such as information for a test or you won't learn something that you could use later on. It mostly just looks good on  the student, and the professor will remember that.

2.) Get to know your professors. They will remember you, and that can help you out. Also, don't just get to know the professor in that way. Know what kind of discussions they will have. Know what kind of questions they will ask. If you take multiple tests in one class, pay attention to the types of questions they ask on the first test, and you will have an idea of what kinds of questions will be on the next test.

3.) Get involved in the class. If your class is having a discussion, make sure you are involved. You don't only learn more, but it looks good on you as well.

4.) Read the syllabus. Look at all of the assignments, and see if there are any you can get ahead on.

5.) Get organized. Use a planner or an assignment sheet to write down your assignments and readings, and when they are due. Refer back to the syllabus every now and again to make sure you didn't skip any assignments.

6.) Do NOT procrastinate. I know, basically everyone does it, but it is best if you get a head start. You'll have more time to edit papers, so you'll find more of your mistakes. And of course, you just don't want the quality of work that looks like it was turned in at 11:55 P.M. when it's due at 12:00 A.M. the same day.

7.) Listen to the professor. I know, this is a given. Make sure you pay attention to the things the professor emphasizes. There is a great possibility that it will be on the test.

8.) Don't be afraid to ask questions. If you don't understand something, never be afraid to ask. I know sometimes professors can be mean about it, but that's as far as it goes. It doesn't hurt your grade to ask.

9.) Study early in the semester. Start studying a little bit for each class throughout the semester. I always take and organize notes after each class, this way I don't have to cram, and I better understand the concepts.

10.) Read your chapters. I know in some classes, you don't actually have to, but if you're going to have a test or an assignment, it's always better to read than not.

11.) Find sources online. A lot of textbooks have supplemental sources that go along with your textbook. Try to find those. If you can't find those, get on Quizlet and find sets with some topics of your class, and look at those to obtain a better understanding. You can also find websites to correct your grammar for papers.

12.) Prepare strategies to deal with stress. You're going to be stressed throughout the semester. It always happens. Sometimes you have freak-outs. Find a way to manage your stress, because stress can affect how well you do in the class. Prepare strategies to help you cope with presentations and exams.

13.) Know how you study. Most people like to study in certain ways. Flashcards help me, re-writing notes might help others. Find the best way that you retain information and use it.

14.) Get in groups. This goes along with figuring out how to study, but find a few of your classmates and get together. You can review each others papers and help each other study for tests.

15.) Learn to take notes. If your professor doesn't post a powerpoint, this is especially important. There are several methods of taking notes. Learn which way works the best for you. Ask questions in your notes. Make note of things you don't understand. Make it colorful.

16.) Don't memorize. Sure, memorization can be good for tests, but sometimes not. A lot of questions on tests are hypothetical, so you will not only have to know the definition, but you will have to apply it. LEARNING instead of memorization is not only better for tests, but for a foundation for other classes.

I hope these tips help, and have a great semester!