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A Foolproof Guide to Living Your Best Life

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at UVA chapter.

If 2016 was the year of realizing things, then 2017 is definitely the year to take all those realizations and use them to start living your best life. You may be seeing the term, “Living Your Best Life” everywhere, from Buzzfeed articles to Snapchat filters, but do you know what it really means to live your best life? Luckily, I have put together a step-by-step guide to help you go about doing exactly that.  

1.   Try new things

It’s easy to fall into a routine the older you get. In fact, it’s been scientifically proven that the older we get, the faster time seems to go as our perception changes and our activities become less novel. The best way to fight this is to avoid getting stuck into monotonous routines and to keep seeking out new and exciting experiences. Not only will your days become more memorable as you try new things, you also might find new passions or talents.

 

2.   Don’t worry about what other people think

This is one piece of advice that never gets old no matter how many times you hear it. You can never please everyone and you’ll waste countless amounts of energy trying. The most important thing I’ve learned is that every situation comes down to how comfortable you feel in your own skin. If you’re comfortable with yourself, everyone else will be comfortable with you too.(GIF Source: Tumblr)

 

3.   Enjoy the little things

Get brunch on Sundays, watch the sunset, buy yourself fresh-cut flowers once a month. Sometimes we all move a little too fast to notice all the simple ways there are to find joy. In your best life you should maximize this joy in all the ways you can, and that includes acknowledging the little things.

 

4.   Don’t hold onto friendships that have run their course

Once you’re in college, it can feel hard to balance friendships from high school or even just from your first year. College is a huge growth process and you may find yourself growing away from people you were once close to. Part of living your best life is knowing when to move on. If someone isn’t putting in the effort for you, you don’t need to torture yourself over why. Your best life should be one where you’re surrounded by people who make you feel your best. (GIF Source: E Online)

5.   Do whatever you want

Feel free to ignore all of the above suggestions. They are based on my own experiences and for that reason they may be totally irrelevant to you. The most important part of living your best life is doing what makes you happy. Your best life is the one where you feel happiest and most fulfilled and for each person that’s totally different. So go out and do whatever makes you feel best and enjoy turning 2017 into the year of living your best life.

(GIF Source: Tumblr)

 

Third-year Media Studies and Art History student at U.Va!