December is here, and so are deadlines, family gatherings, cold weather. For some people, it’s the happiest time of the year. For others, it’s hard enough to just make it to the next hour. Here are 15 helpful tips that I’ve learned through trial and error (mostly error) on how to clear your head and make yourself feel better. Try what you want, it can never hurt to make a positive change to your lifestyle!

1. Own your space.

Be aware of where you are. When you make the most of your own person and you know how much space you take up, you can create fantastic creations. Don’t be afraid of how much space you’re taking up, that is your own space and no one can take that from you. Make something worthwhile in that space.

2. Clean your room.

I promise you, this works. Clean your room, your house, your car, or even your office. Whatever it is that you spend more time with, it will help clear your head and focus your mind. When your space is dirty, there is no sense of being productive. You will want to sleep and you will want to eat only McDonald's. Once you clean your place, it’s a new world.

3. Dress up.

This can also be focused on your hygiene. Take a little extra time each day to spritz yourself up a tad. Do your makeup (boys can do makeup too) or style your hair. Pick the clothes that fit you and make you feel good. There’s no point in wearing clothes that are too tight because you’ll be uncomfortable. Don’t wear clothes that are too baggy because you won’t feel professional. Something in between will help you find your happy place.

4. Water, like the stuff you swim in.

Everyone is always telling you to drink water. The school, gym, work --Well, they’re right. Drinking water helps clear your head and clear out your system. Even if you’re going out to the bars or eating a full tub of ice cream, water helps everything flow clearer. Do you have trouble sleeping all the time like I do? Water wakes up your body and keeps you going. Always remember, if your pee is clear, so are you.

5. Go outside

Why, what a lovely day out. Being outside is nature’s way of saying “Hello”, and you don’t want to be rude to nature or she’ll cause an earthquake in the middle of a nap. And no, no one wants their nap disturbed. Even five minutes outside can satisfy mother nature, and it will satisfy you too.

6. Talk about what you love.

You have a passion, I can see it right beneath the surface. Now please, I want you to tell me about it. What makes you tick? What makes you go running at absurd hours? What keeps you awake, and what gets you out of bed? What do you strive to be in five years? Tell me all about it.

7. Listen to others talk about what they love.

On the flip side of that, listen when someone is telling you what they love. You’ll learn something more about this complex life, and even better, you’ll have a closer friend. Everyone will be heard, and your job is to listen.

8. Tell people that you love them.

Even if it’s the corniest thing in the world and you’re a manly man who doesn’t have any feelings, if you don’t get up and tell the people that you love the truth, when will you do it? And, if it’s planned for the future, how do you know that something won’t come up, preventing you from talking? You could be cursed by an elf anywhere along the way. Don’t be silly, just tell them. By spreading love, you lighten the world. And with all that’s going on, I know you don’t want to hinder it and make it darker. We all have a small role to play to make this place better.

9. Eliminate all of the toxicity from your life.

This could be friends, ex’s, or bad habits. You are not responsible for others (unless you’re a parent, please don’t abandon your child. They need unconditional love.) If your friends want to be negative all the time, you don’t have to be around them. If you’re the negative friend, evaluate why you’re being this way. Maybe you need to reach out to a counselor, but your friends don’t need that in their life. Strive for positivity.

10. Create something.

First off, shut up. I know you’re going to say, “I don’t have a creative bone in my body.” That’s tofu. You do. Take out a piece of paper and scribble. Go create a machine. Fix a car. Do a puzzle. Make up a story. As children, we were all able to go and create our own games, do it now! Let your create juices flow.

11. Take a nap.

It’s okay to be tired. Take a break from what you need to do and sleep. Make sure to set an alarm from 20 minutes, or any increment of an hour and a half, so you don’t wake up more tired than you went to sleep.

12. Do the work you need to do.

After your nap, wake up and own the world. Everyone has something that needs to be done. Schoolwork? Get crackalackin. Housework? Jam to the tunes while you scrub the jam off the plates. Whatever hinders you, it’s not procrastination if you start doing your task and start chipping away. The more you do now the less you need to do later.

13. Break big tasks into small goals.

If you ever find that your task is too big, that’s fine. Make smaller tasks. Too many dishes in the sink? First task is to take out the clean dishes in the washer. Second task is to remove the big objects, like the plates. A full book of chemistry to study by next week? Start with chapter by chapter and take breaks. Breaks are a key factor in getting a large sum of tasks done in an orderly fashion. If you work for 25 minutes then have a five minute break doing anything other than that task, you’ll be refreshed to continue longer. This is called the pomodoro technique.

14. Scream

Let it all out. You’ll be hoarse, and unless you’re secluded, people will be worried and might call the cops. But, if you focus everything on those screams, and let the screams carry everything that’s weighing you down, I guarantee you, you’ll feel better.

15. Cry

Whoever said that crying was for weak people can bite my toes, because it’s not. It’s for strong people. If you have an urge, please always feel free to excuse yourself from any setting to let it out. It may clog your nose and your head, but if you were to hold it in, eventually you’d burst and it’d be worse.