I know I wrote about why New Years resolutions never work but this is not exactly what I would call a resolutions list. This is not a list of ways to superficially make your life better, it is a list of ways to create emotional and mental peace in your life. 2016 may have been a rough year for some people and I think that going forward into 2017 we all need a little help calming the tides in our minds. So without further or do, here are a few things you should stop doing now that it is 2017.

1. Stop Stressing Out Over Everything

I think everyone just needs to calm down. There have been a lot of stressful events this past year and we all just need to take a deep breath. From killer clowns to Trump being elected president, it's just been one crap storm after the other. However, I really feel like in our current society people get too stressed out over every little thing that happens.This is obviously more on the political side of the crap storms because the clown thing would freak anyone out. You don't have to post a novel long status or tweet about every little thing going on. We are all entitled to our own opinions and beliefs, and no amount of tweeting our status updates attacking the people who oppose you is going to change that. You can't force someone to share your opinions and beliefs, and you can't get angry at someone for having their own thoughts. I'm not saying you cant be angry in general but we need to stop attacking each other.

2. Stop Ignoring Your Passions

I noticed that I stopped doing a lot of things that make me happy in 2016. I love to read, write, paint, dance, and to play music. I indulged the dancer in me through my schools dance company, and the writer in me through this platform but this just doesn't seem like enough. Probably because in doing all of those things I was always dancing or writing for someone else. Never for my own enjoyment. I haven't really sat down to read a book all the way through in forever, and I stopped painting around the same time I started college. I haven't picked up my flute since I was in middle school. So it's clear that 2-16 wasn't the only year that I kept myself from doing the things I love but 2017 is when I want that to stop. Doing the things that make you happy is important for your mental health. You need to take care of yourself rather than doing everything in life for others.

3. Stop Harming Your Body

I know that a lot of people say that they're going to work out more and eat better during the new year. This is one of the resolutions that I have said never work. This is because people set unreachable goals for themselves. When I say take care of your body I mean pay more attention to what you are putting into it. Cut out certain processed foods that you know aren't good for you, cut back on habits that hurt your body such as excess drinking and smoking. At the same time don't beat yourself up if you slip up a little. Bad habits are hard to break, especially addictive ones.

4. Stop Plugging Yourself Into Your Gadgets

If there is one thing that is true about our society today it is that we are all addicted to our electronics. Spending time with friends and family has become a group of people sitting around staring that their phone screens. We use the excuse that we are using our phones to capture the moment for memory sake but there is nothing that compares to experiencing the moment first hand. We spend more time looking at our phones, scrolling through photos of other peoples memories rather than making our own with the people we love. There are little ways that you can make a change. When you're doing things with your friends make a pact to put all of your phones on silent and on the same table face down. Without the distraction of buzzing and dinging from notifications you will be able to give each other your undivided attention. Same goes for spending time with family. Turn your phone off or on silent and put it somewhere that you wont be tempted to pick it up. Capturing memories through your phone is fine and all, I'm not saying you shouldn't. But nothing can compare with being fully present in the moment you are spending with the people that you care about.

5. Stop Trying To Change Yourself For Other People

We are all told that we have to fit this cookie cutter mold to fit in in this day and age. Stop telling yourself that you are not good enough and that you need to change. Being different is what makes us who we are. There is no one else out there who is exactly like you and that's okay. That's what makes you special and unique. Instead of trying to hide or alter what makes you special, embrace it and show it off. Your passions and quirks that you think make you strange are probably what people love about you. Don't convince yourself that you have to change for anyone. Use 2017 to discover what makes you special and let it empower you instead of letting it hinder you.

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Some of these things may seem like obvious changes that people say they're going to make but I honestly think that they are changes that everyone should try to make. What I want you to take away from this is that you should try to do more for yourself rather than doing things for other people. IF your mission is to improve yourself this year, do little things that can help your mind as well as your body.