At the end of last year, I was in a funk. A funk from a multitude of reasons which I won’t bore you with. But it was a 100%, Grade A, organic FUNK. I realized that even good things that happened were often overshadowed by this dark aura that I surrounded myself with. No one else was in charge of that Lost-like black smoke monster but me.

I started to realize that if I ever wanted out of this gloom I had found myself living in, I needed to make some changes. So here we go:

1. Realize that life isn’t perfect all the time.

AKA, suck it up. Some situations I found myself in were entirely my choice and my choice alone. What can I do about it? Suck it up. Deal with the consequences. Think of a plan and work towards reaching a goal. Drowning in my own self-pity wasn’t going to get me anywhere.

2. Stop giving a sh*t.

I was mentally and emotionally taking work home with me. With both students, co-workers, even rude people at Target– everyone and everything I involved myself with. I can’t make every 13 year old kid like me. I sure as hell can’t make them like social studies, and there is no bloody way I can make them all pass my class. IT IS OKAY. The world is not going to end because little Billy told you your class was stupid and that he didn’t care. Little Billy obviously has bigger fish to fry at home and I needed to remember that. People are fighting bigger battles than what is presented on the surface level. Which brings me to my next change.

3. Give a sh*t about things that matter.

With all the terrible things that are going on in this world, try to find the good and to help make it better. “Oh no my internet isn’t working, UGH. How am I supposed to buy things I don’t need on Amazon?!” There are literally bombs being tossed into cities of innocent people. There are people being bought and sold in sex trafficking. I think I can flipping deal with the internet outage.

I have recently picked back up volunteering with a few local organizations. While it isn’t something I do every day, it feels like I am actually doing something to right the wrongs of this world, even just a little bit. I have discovered issues and organizations that I am passionate about and I’m actually spending time and money to show my support. It isn’t much, but it is better than Facebook arguing about microwaves and conspiracy theories.

4. Be active.

Hate to say it, but I have been “more active than usual” since the new year and I wish I could say it sucks and doesn’t make a difference on my attitude. But then I’d be lying to you. Between running with my beautiful muscular badass dog, experimenting with machines at the gym, and dancing any time I hear a tune, I truly believe it has helped turn my attitude around. I mean, Elle Woods says it best, “Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. Happy people just don’t shoot their husbands, they just don’t.”