Hello All, I'm here to tell you how to stop getting jet lag.  Most of us have had jet lag before, especially if you are reading this article.  Jet lag is basically how crappy you feel when travelling because of the time change and flying in general.  These tips are based on my trips from North America to Europe.  These tips are also useful for the opposite, or other long distance trip with modifications. 

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Sleep on the plane! 

Do not be that person who watches movie after movie the entire overnight flight. No. Just don't.  First of all, it's a really bad way to start your vacation off.  You'll be exhausted and it'll make it really really hard to re-adjust yourself to the time change.  Secondly, you'll keep so many other people up with the light. 

Most international flights to Europe that I have taken leave at around 6pm and arrive at around 4am (home time).  Instead of staying up the entire night, which will be the case by the time you go thru customs, get your luggage and travel to your hotel.  Try going to sleep fairly early, if you can't - just try. You might get a couple hours. It's better than nothing  

Another important thing is to bring a good set of ear plugs or music to help you fall asleep.  I also like to use an eye mask to block out the light.  

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Day 1 

Arrived? Take a nap

Take a nap when you get to the hotel.  This nap should be short.  An hour or so is best.  This will give yourself that much needed sleep but it'll help you get accustomed to new time.  I know you want to sleep for hours on end, but this will help you in the long run.  

After your nap, take a nice walk around the neighbourhood.  Get a good meal into you.   

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Go to Bed - local time 

The first night, and every night after, go to bed by 9-10 o'clock local time.  Especially that first night.  This is very important.  You will either be exhausted and fall asleep the moment your head hits the pillow, or you may be wide awake because it's technically mid afternoon for you.  If this is the case, maybe take something like melatonin to help you sleep (talk to your doctor before hand).  

Day 2 

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Sleep in - a little - the first day

By a little, I mean until 10 or 11am.  The first full day is a great time to get oriented with the city.  Don't go all out, but make sure to be out and about.  


Usually by this point I am pretty well accustomed to the time change and I don't feel relatively bad.  On the way back however, I haven't quite found the secret.  I personally find it's much easier to adjust to the time change going rather than coming back.  I hope these tips helped! 




** Matthew Smith
***Skitter Photo
****Patrick Donnelly
*****Francois Van

Without TMI, I will be discussing with you my tips and tricks for making your stomach feel happy.  First, it's important to determine the cause of your issues.  Should you go see a doctor? Is it a food intolerance?  Do your research and don't forget that your doctor should be your most important resource, I am not a doctor.


I have an allergy to both garlic and onion. It sucks.  Virtually everything pre-made or in restaurant has at least one of these.  Don't believe me? Go check your fridge: ketchup, mayo, KD, salsa, spaghetti sauce, you name it.  So what do I even eat you might ask? Well, the majority of my meals are all homemade.  I feel this has really changed my views on food and has really forced me into healthy eating.

**This photo actually causes my heart rate to increase.  My stomach is also not so so happy.

 With this allergy I get really bad stomach aches and such.  I believe, I have found the best way to avoid getting sick but still being able to eat (sometimes) the things that my stomach hates.    These can include dairy, or gluten intolerances too.  Again, if you are anaphylactic DO NOT eat the food that you allergic to.  This is for people who have mild allergies, where a trip to the hospital is not necessary. We all know that if you stop eating that particular food or product you will feel better, but these are more tips on what to do, if you did it eat, and are about to regret it.

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First,  Drink a lot of water.  I have found that if I drink about 2 or 3 bottles of water between the time I had eaten the allergen to when I usually get symptoms (5 or 6 hours).  I find that if I have a lot more in my stomach than garlic and onions - I don't get so many problems, it would be diluted.  Also, it will keep you hydrated.

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Next, use mint and ginger.  These both have wonderful soothing effects.  Ginger is known for helping digestive issues.  And mint has a great cooling effect.  If your starting to feel icky, try one of these, or both.  I personally take ginger supplements when this happens - but it says that you should talk to your doctor before taking them. I don't know why...


**Jay Mantri
***nishan joomun
****R. Jordan N. Sanchez

Do you have any tips to alleviate stomach allergy/intolerance symptoms?

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Well hello there, If you wanted to know how my life is going at the moment; either because you are dealing with these same issues, you stumbled upon my site, or you just love finding out what other peoples lives are like.  I certainly belong in that last category - I love finding about other peoples likes, and dislikes, and favourite hair products - I even watch youtube videos about it - What's up, what's in my bag videos!

Well, that was a lovely introduction, don't you say?  I am feeling very uplifted because a huge load of shhi - stuff was lifted off my shoulders.  Final Exams are finally (almost) over! I only have one more 4 days from now and then hallelujah I'm done.

Done.  Done. Done.  


So, exams suck, deadlines suck, school kinda sucks, life is icky... What is there to be happy about?  Well yes, I'm done writing, that has to be number one.  But what else? I am going on a trip this Saturday, Yay.  Where you might ask? To Austria.  Yes I am so very lucky, and super duper excited.  I am mostly excited because they actually serve REAL coffee.  (If you come to Canada - expect crappy coffee - sorry (Eh!))

Wonderful joke that was EH. I'm sorry, i'll stop.  Now, about my trip, I am most excited to see the art. Something about me that you most likely do not know is that I love the fine arts.  I'm mostly a classical art fan girl - Michelangelo and such.

So all jokes aside, I really did have a rough time this past few weeks because of exams.  It was hard to stay motivated and positive.  But my friends, and family really helped me.  The important thing to remind yourself is to remember why you are doing it.  Also, believe in yourself.



*Luis Llerena

What helps you get thru though times?

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Summer? Swimming? - I don't know about you, but summer is by far my favourite season.  This season is going to be different.  I'm going to live a healthier lifestyle.

Here I have a collection of bathing suits that I would love to own.  If you are looking for a cute swim suit; look no further.  I will be using this suit as motivation to get fit, but of course, you don't have too.


Here's my plan:

I personally find that sticking to a fitness routine is difficult.  I will go to the gym consistently for a weeks or even months. Then something happens, either something personal or school is getting very intensive.  I find it very hard to get back into a routine once this happens.

Forever 21

Ardene

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It's that time of the year again... At least it is for me.  Exam Time.  The time of year when you wish you hadn't enrolled in college or university.  The days have started to feel awfully short again.  However, there's one good thing about exams - the school is done for the summer.

C'est ce temps de l'année encore ... Au moins, ce l'est pour moi. Les examens, yuck. C'est le temps de l'année où on se demande pourquoi on sait inscrits au collège ou à l'université. Les journées deviennent terriblement courte. Cependant, il ya une bonne chose à leur sujet - l'école va bientôt être terminée pour l'été.

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 As I mentioned above, days become shorter during exam time.  It's a strange phenomenon (joke).  With that said, it's absolutely crucial to begin studying early.  I know, it's hard when you have all these projects and essays due.  But make sure that you begin reviewing your notes early.  Even better, continue reviewing them throughout the semester.

 A great trick, especially if you have multiple exams, is to study for 40 minutes in one subject. Then take a 5 minute break. Switch subjects and study for another 40 minutes.  Repeat this cycle.  This will give your brain a break.  Our attention span has been found to only last forty minutes.  The fact that you are changing subjects and taking a break will ultimately give you the best possible routine for success.


Comme je l'ai mentionné ci-dessus, les jours deviennent plus courts en période d'examens. C'est un phénomène étrange (une joke). Ceci dit, il est absolument crucial de commencer à étudier tôt. Je sais, que c'est difficile quand vous avez tous ces projets et des papiers dues. Mais assurez-vous que vous commencez de revisser vos notes tôt. Encore mieux, continuer à les examiner au long du semestre.

 Un bon conseille, surtout si vous avez plusieurs examens, c'est d'étudier pendant 40 minutes sur un sujet. Ensuite, prendre une pause de 5 minutes. Passer a un different sujet et étudiez pour un autre 40 minutes. Répétez ce cycle. Cela donnera une pause à votre cerveau. Notre capacité d'attention est d'environ 40 minutes. Le fait que vous changez de sujets et de prendre une pause votre cerveau va être en meilleure form pour bien faire sur vos exams.

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Eat well and drink plenty of water.  This is self-explanatory.  Most of my posts will cover this because it just so bloody important.   The better you feel, the better you will learn.  Period.

Get enough sleep.  With the stress of exams, it can be hard to get sufficient amounts of sleep.  I personally often get sick around this time because of the lack of sleep and stress.  Do yourself a favour and go to bed early.  Your brain could also use a break.  It's also much better to go to bed early to get your REM sleep (1-3am) and waking up early.


Mangez bien et buvez beaucoup d'eau. C'est tellement important.  Le mieux vous vous sentez, le plus que vous allez apprendre. Période.

Aussi, c'est important d'avoir assez de sommeil. Avec le stress des examens, il va être difficile d'obtenir des quantités suffisantes de sommeil. Personnellement, je deveins malade au temps ci en raison du manque de sommeil et le stress. Faites-vous une faveur et aller au lit tôt. Votre cerveau pourrait également utiliser une pause. C'est beaucoup mieux d'aller au lit plus tôt pour obtenir votre sommeil durant les heure de 1-3 du matin et se réveiller tôt.

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Study with all your senses.  You may be a certain type of learner - visual, auditory ... But most of us learn best by combining these learning styles.  Try to not only draw or use flow charts but also read the material out loud.

Take breaks.  Just do it.  Your brain needs it. Have some fun, go for a walk, anything.  It's better to take a few minutes to yourself than studying 24/7.

Il y a beaucoup de différentes façons pour étudier.  Nous savons que chaque person étudie d'une different façon.  Êtes-vous visuel, auditif? La plupart d'entre nous apprenons mieux en combinant ces styles d'apprentissage. N'essayez pas de seulement apprendre les visuels, mais aussi lis le matériel à voix haute.

Prenez des pauses. Fais-le. Votre cerveau l'a besoin. Amusez-vous, prenez une promenade, visitez vos amis. 

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Study with others at the beginning and then work alone.  It's very helpful to study with a group during the early stages of your studying. This is because you can help each other learn the material.  Someone is bound to understand something that you do not and they can explain it to you.  The opposite is also true.  It's been found that teaching someone else helps you yourself understand it better.  However, when it gets closer to the exam, study alone.  This is best for most of us because memorization is more difficult when other people are around.  Also, distractions are widely available and chances are, the other students will probably not stick to studying the entire time.

Bring something new. Weird? Yes, but hear me out.  In very basic terms, memory works by creating connections in the brain.  So if you memorize something that you read, you are creating a one way pathway in your brain.  But, if you add more stimulus you then create different pathways that will lead to the same memory.  So this is why you should study in different ways.  You can also eat a flavour of candy when studying a certain section, wear a certain perfume or just add something new. I hope this makes sense.

Une bonne façons d'étudier c'est de commencer avec des autres mais ensuite travailler seul. C'est très utile d'étudier avec un groupe pendant les premières étapes de votre étude parce que vous pouvez vous aidez à apprendre le matérielle. Vous pouvez apprendre quelque chose de quelqu'un d'autre et  l'inverse est également vrai. Cependant, quand il se rapproche de l'examen, l'étude seule est plus avantageux. C'est mieux pour la plupart d'entre nous. La mémorisation est plus difficile lorsque nous sommes avec d'autres personnes. Également, il y aurait moins de distractions.

Etudie avec quelque chose de nouveau. Bizarre? Oui, mais écoutez-moi. La mémoire fonctionne en créant des connexions dans le cerveau. Donc, si vous mémoriser quelque chose que vous lisez, vous créez un chemin unique dans votre cerveau. Si vous avez seulement étudiez en lisant - ce chemin est un sens unique.  Si vous oublier le materiel que vous avez étudiez c'est parce que vous ne pouvez pas atteindre la destination de ce chemin.  Mais, si vous ajoutez plus de connection ou de "chemin", si un chemin n'arrive pas à la destination, un autre pourrait le faire. Donc, ceci est pourquoi vous devriez étudier de différentes manières. Vous pouvez aussi manger une certaine saveur de bonbons, commencer de porter un nouveau parfum ou n'import de quoi qui pourrait crée de nouvelle connection.  J'espère que ceci a fait due sens. 

* Leeroy
** Redd Angelo
*** Emanuele Bresciani
**** Padurariu Alexandru
***** Jamie Hamel-Smith

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The Wii U - a still fairly new consol for Nintendo.  If you have ever heard of it, chances are you have also heard of Super Smash Bros.  No? Well, you should keep reading then!

Smash Bros is listed as the number 1 game  for the Wii U (It is also available for 3DS).  Do I think it is? Yes.  Although I haven't played that many games. As of today, I don't believe there are any games for the Wii U that will even compare.  Although this is only my opinion.

About The Game:  This is a single and multiplayer game, where you choose a character and battle.  The photo below displays all the possible characters (except Mew Two who will be added on April 15th Eeek and Lucas).

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This game is both for "gamers and non-gamers".  Anyone can play this game.  If you are a gammer, I would be worried if you haven't played the game (or wanted to).  There are a variety of stages that you can choose from.  Nintendo really did do a great job on these stages - the graphics are amazing.

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Today, I wrote a final exam that went very badly.  No, it wasn't because I didn't study.  The exam was in immunology.  If you have taken a course on immunology - you can understand my pain.  I studied as hard as I possibly could, all 60+ pages of information.  (I even looked for further ressources and found the grad programs at certain universities - and it didn't even reach the depth that we covered).  I'm trying to not sound like a brat, but it's so frustrating.  Sorry - I just really needed to rant.  Rant is now over.

So I failed. I feel like a failure.  I know you might say - "but Sarah you didn't get your mark back! You don't really know".  I left quite a few questions blank. And, according to the school, everyone failed that exam.  (Even the A+ students)

I tend to dwell on the bad.  I also really struggle with dealing with failure.  This is something that I am actively changing.  The consequence of failing this final exam for me, is receiving a lower grade.  I will not fail the course - but the grade will not be what I would want.  This is ok, or it should be.

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Failure is something that happens to all of us.  Multiple times in our lives.  This is a fact.  Failures are not all bad - they allow us to learn and grow as a person.  This failure taught me how to manage my nervousness and exam writing skills.  I decided to do a short breathing technique before even opening my exam to reach a lower heart rate and reduce this nervousness.  This helped, and will certainly help me in the upcoming weeks as I will be writing more exams.

The key to understanding your failures and being ok with them, is to realize that this does not define who you are.  You are not a failure.  Another important point is to remember that this is part of life.  Don't dwell on the bad.  You only live once.  No immature YOLO reference here.  Why should we concentrate on the bad when were only here for a little while in history.

So what am I doing?  I'm listening to some old good music.  Having a cup of tea.  Relaxing.  Might read a book - haven't done that in a while.  Trying to think positively about myself.  Remembering that I have more exams, I can redeem myself. Redeem or should I say - impress.  I know I will do better in these exams, I know it. All I have to do is to stay positive.

 Stay positive.

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We all have to deal with difficult days.  May they be hard because of work, school,  family or personal issues.  It's part of life.  The important thing is to be yourself.  We tend to lose ourselves when things get difficult.  We will drop everything else.

I'm currently struggling to keep up with school.  As a university student, we all know there are plenty of things to be stressed about.  Especially during exam time. (Which is now in my case).  This is why I decided to write this post.  Things are stressful.  I have found myself spending most of my time studying, and rarely ever talking to my friends or family.  It's important for me, especially now, to stay positive.


Nous devons tous faire face à des jours difficiles. Difficile à cause du travail, l'école, la famille ou des problèmes personnels?  Ca fait partie de la vie. La partie la plus importante est d'être vous-même. Nous avons tendance à nous perdre quand les choses deviennent difficiles. 

L'école est très difficile pour moi.  Comme une étudiante en université, j'ai beaucoup de misère a concentrer sur moi-même. Surtout en période d'examens. (Qui est maintenant dans mon cas). C'est pourquoi j'ai décidé d'écrire cette article. J'ai trouvé que je passe la plupart de mon temps étudier, et rarement que je parle avec mes amis ou ma famille. Il est important pour moi, surtout maintenant, de rester positif.

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A few things that I have been doing to stay positive includes: positive thoughts.  Yes, yes, we all know this.  What you say to yourself is important when it comes to staying positive.  Self confidence and loving yourself is extremely beneficial, but not the easiest thing to do.  These are things to work on.  I would suggest giving yourself compliments, acknowledging things about yourself that you like.

Another great thing to do is to take a me day.  Mental health is just as important as physical health.  If you need a day to yourself, don't be afraid to take it.  Especially today, employers are acknowledging this.  Our lives are so busy, and difficult.  Are we really built for this?  There are so many pressures that we must deal with, constant stressors in our lives.  Take that day off when you need it.  Say no when you can.  Think of your wellbeing.


Des choses que je fais pour rester positif inclus: des pensées positives. Oui, oui, nous le savons tous. Qu'est-ce que vous vous dites est important quand il s'agit de rester positif. La confiance en soi et de s'aimer est extrêmement bénéfique. Mais ce n'est pas la chose la plus facile à faire. Ce sont des choses qu'il faut travailler. Donnez-vous des compliments!  Prenez un moment, maintenant, et penser a re des qualities de vous-même que vous aimez.

Une autre chose que vous pouvez faire c'est de prendre un journée pour te relaxer. La santé mentale est tout aussi importante que la santé physique. Si vous avez besoin d'une journée pour vous, n'ayez pas peur de la prendre. Surtout aujourd'hui, les employeurs reconnaissent cela. Nos vies sont tellement occupés, et difficile. Sommes-nous vraiment construit pour cela? Il y a tellement de pressions que nous devons faire face à chaque jours. Nous devons constamment combattre le stress. Pensez à votre bien-être.

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Eating well is also very important when it comes to your general health.  Stick to healthy foods, but don't forget that it is OK to have a cheat day.  Drink plenty of water and eat plenty of fruit.  Even if you drink one extra glass of water you will feel its' effects.  Avoid caffeine.  Many of us depend on caffeinated drinks to stay awake during the day.  Try cutting back.  It will not only help your general health but also you will see that you won't be as dependent on it.  I personally make sure that I do not have more than one coffee a day and that I do not drink a cup every day.  With this, I can be active and alert without that cup of joe.

Get some sleep and wake up using natural light.  Again, we all know that we should get at least 8 hours of sleep.  But remember that your best sleep is between the early morning hours of 3-5am.  So not only get enough sleep but make sure that you are going to bed during the night, not waiting by morning.  Also, if you can, try waking with natural light.  It is less aggressive then an alarm clock and you wake up feeling more rested.  Try to train yourself to wake up at a certain time in the morning.  The best tip would be to wake up at the same time every day - including weekends.  It's quite difficult for our bodies to adjust to constantly changing waking times.


Bien manger est aussi très important quand il s'agit de votre santé générale. Manger des aliments sains, mais n'oubliez pas que c'est OK d'avoir un tricheur à chaque quelque jour. Buvez beaucoup d'eau et manger beaucoup de fruits. Même si vous buvez un verre d'eau supplémentaire vous allez sentir ses effets. Évitez la caféine. Beaucoup d'entre nous son dépendent des boissons caféinées pour rester réveillé pendant la journée. Il sera non seulement bon pour votre santé générale, mais aussi vous serez pas aussi dépendant. Personnellement, je fait sûr que je ne ai pas plus qu'un verre de café par jour, et je ne bois pas à chaque jour. Avec cela, je peux être active et alerte sans une tasse de Joe.

Encore une fois, nous savons  que nous devrions obtenir au moins huit heures de sommeil. Mais rappelez-vous que votre meilleur sommeil est entre les heures de la matinée entre 3-5am. Ainsi, non seulement obtenir suffisamment de sommeil mais assurez-vous que vous allez au lit pendant la nuit, et pas  le matin. 

Essayez de vous réveiller en utilisant la lumière naturelle. Il est moins agressif alors vous allez vous sentir plus reposés. Essayez de vous entraîner à se réveiller à un moment donné dans la matinée. Le meilleur conseil serait de se réveiller à la même heure chaque jour - y compris les week-ends. Il est assez difficile pour notre corps de s'adapter au changement d'heure de revaille constante.

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Have fun.  Do the things that you love. Don't drop everything because you're stressed and busy.  Make time for those little things.  Be with your family and your friends.  Take some time to yourself to de-stress and enjoy life.

My favourite little things include: making tea (I often forget it and never end up drinking it..) but I still enjoy the process of making it. Does anybody else do this?  Also, I love sitting outside on the deck with a good book.  Finally, I enjoy walking downtown on a warm sunny day.

What are your favourite little things? Comment bellow, I would love to know!


Amusez-vous. Faites les choses que vous aimez. Ne laisser pas tous tomber parce que vous êtes stressé et occupé. Prenez du temps pour les petites choses. Soyez avec votre famille et vos amis. Prenez le temps pour vous dé-stressez et profiter de la vie.

 Mes petites choses préférés: me faire un beau de té (je l'oublie souvent, et je ne le fini jamais) mais j'aime toujours le processus de le faire. J'aime aussi être dehors avec un bon livre. Enfin, j'aime marcher autour du centre-ville sur une journée chaude et ensoleillée.

Quels sont vos petites choses préférées? Commentaire ci-dessous, je aimerais savoir!

Credits
*Original Photo by Susanne Feldt
**Photo by Tatiana Lapina
*** Photo by Jan Vašek
**** Photo by Todd Downs

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I have always struggled with keeping my hair curled.  By 3pm, all of my curls would be gone.  Not only would they be gone, but my hair would be kinky and just plain ugly.   A few months ago, I found the perfect process to keep my curls in place.  So if your hair is stubborn, or you want to extent your curl wear; keep reading.

Spath Plant: Walmart 14$

Bromeliad Plant: Walmart 14$


Cataractarum Plant: Walmart 11$


Next up is ... Bedding.  The great thing with this is that you can have two separate sets of bedding for the year.  One for the winter and the other for the summer.  This gives your room a complete make over.  And if you keep the same bedding, it should last years.  My favourite bedding colours for summer are lilac, cyan and green.  I love these summer colours.  In the winter I like to stick with muted colours like grays, and beiges.

Carina 6-8 piece Bedding: Bed Bath and Beyond 100 -130$

Real Simple Boden Comforter in white: Bed Bath and Beyond 120 - 200$

Frank and Lulu Penny lane comforter set: Bed Bath and Beyond 120-150$

You can also easily change up the look of your bathroom by changing the accessories.  You can either switch them during the year, or maybe you're ready for a change.  This spring stick to whites and light colours.  Or you can create a nature theme, using greens, browns and blacks.  You can even have a plant in the bathroom.

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Being happy is one of the most important things to me.  However, life has given me a lot of opportunities to be unhappy.  With that said, I really have to be pro-active when it comes to being happy.  When things are going the wrong way, keep your head up high, things will get better.  But remember, YOU will have to be the one to make things better.  Don't wait for the world to change, make it change.  So, here are the things that I do that make me happy.

Make plans with your friends.  A lot of us will get so wrapped up in work, school, and family that we put our social lives on the back burner.  It's important for you to keep doing things that you love.  If you are really short on time, make plans to get coffee, or something quick, that you would do by yourself anyways.

Enjoy the little things.  It's unrealistic for a lot of us to really only be happy when you're only celebrating for the big accomplishments.  I love waking up to song birds and the sun shining.  I love taking baths and reading a great book at the beach.

Become a more positive person.  There's a lot of negativity in the world.  For one thing, it sells.   Most TV shows are made to create an emotional response: death, heartbreak... The media is almost always filled with sad events.  Take a step back from these.  Watch a comedy rather than a drama.  Listen to uplifting music rather than sad break up songs.

Being a positive person is a mindset.   Concentrate on the good in the world.  Think of the people that you love, dance and sing a long to a happy song - I'm listening to "I'm on top of the world - imagine dragons" while writing this.  We all know that the act of smiling can make you feel better. Try it.  Get into a habit of thinking about what you're grateful for.  It can boost up that mood.

If you are suffering from a mental disease such as anxiety and depression it is incredibly difficult.  Always remember: it doesn't define you.  It's a mountain that you have to climb.  Do not be afraid to get help.

Many of us like to create goals for ourselves.  Or, expectations have been create for us.  Remember that, you can only do your best, nothing more.  Create realistic goals for you.  If you have a goal of reaching a 4.0 gpa but that's just not possible for you.  Set a new goal that is realistic.  Stop trying to reach other peoples expectations.  Stop setting unrealistic goals.

Here are some ideas of things that you can do to make life awesome:
travel (even if it's in your own city), go for a walk or a run, meet someone new, create something, try a new recipe, watch a comedy, try a new sport, dance to your favourite song, give a hug to someone that you care about, read a good book, write a letter, keep a journal, eat chocolate, play with your pets, HAVE FUN!

What are things that you do to make life awesome?

*Photo by Milo McDowell

First you want to choose the template that you like.   A collection of websites with free and paid template designs can be found Here.  As an example I chose the Dribble Clean & Responsive template by Themexposed.

If you use a mac, try to find a template where the file that you download is a .zip file.  It makes life so much easier.

Once you have downloaded the template go to "Template" on the blogger side bar.  Click "Back up/Restore" on the top right corner.  If you have previous work on your blog, back up your blog just in case.  Then click "Choose file" under upload at template from file on your hardrive.

Unfortunetaly, if you have already tried to download a template.  The html/layout may be so "messed" up that it's better to just create a new blog and start immediately with a new blog template.  Just keep your old blog and you can transfer your posts.

This is what it looks like now.  You may need to play around with the layout. Delete certain things that you do not need.  For example, with this template, the about me google + widget was messing everything up. So I had to remove it.

Now for the fun part.

Open the folder with the template and look through the different folders - plugins, how to's... The txt folders will give you more information as to how to edit your blogs new template.  Follow the instructions and you'll be on your way.

To make even more changes and personalization.  Go to "template" and click "edit HTML".  This will bring you to your blogs html.  Click anywhere on the displayed html, then hold the "Command" button followed by the "F" if you are using a mac. With a windows computer hold down "Control F". This will open a search on the html, allowing you to locate specific parts of the html.  Familiarize yourself with the structure of the html.

Blogging is not what I would call easy, especially when starting out.  I have found various websites and blogs that are very helpful.  Here's a collection of sites and sources to help you with your blog.