It's officially 2017. A new year. Most of us have been talking for weeks about our new years resolutions. We've been talking about the obvious ones that we all strive for such as eating healthier, exercising more, being nicer to others, or volunteering more often. Some of us have also been talking about new, unique resolutions for this year such as cutting certain people out of your life, learning a new hobby like cooking or knitting, getting better grades, or buying your first home or pet. But I think crucial resolutions that are so often overlooked or unthought of are the mental health resolutions. Resolutions involving increasing your self esteem and changing your perspectives. I think a crucial resolution that everyone needs to focus on this year is not one that involves changing anything, but instead one that involves learning to love what doesn't need to be changed... yourself.

This may seem silly to some people. Nowadays people constantly post selfies and talk about themselves with high praise for their beauty and personality. This is amazing. Unfortunately however, it's not THAT common. We have all experienced those times when you receive a bad grade, acne has ridden your face, you've gained a couple pounds, or someone has said something a little nasty about you. To be blunt, these times suck. You feel down on yourself and it takes awhile to bring yourself out of the slump these occurrences put you in.

I think 2017 should be the year to fight these incidents. To learn to love ourselves no matter what. Let's face it, we can't stop them from happening. There are going to be days where your stomach seems a little bigger than it was the day before. There are going to be exams that you'll fail, or bosses you won't get along with. And there will always be people spreading rumors and talking about others. The saying goes, "you can be the ripest, juiciest peach in the world, but there will always be someone who hates peaches."

We very rarely praise ourselves. Instead we spend a lot of the day praising others. Scrolling through Facebook or Instagram, we think of how pretty someone else looks, how awesome it is that your friend got a promotion, or how determined someone has to be to finish the race they competed in. So often we busy ourselves with watching and appreciating others that we tend to forget to do the same for ourselves. As a result, when a negative thing happens in our lives, it really gets us down because we forget all of the other wonderful things about ourselves and are just consumed with the gloom.

Let 2017 be the year that when these things happen, we don't allow them to alter the love we have for ourselves. Look at yourself and think, "this doesn't define me. I am still okay." Let yourself feel the sadness of the moment, accept it, then pull yourself out.

Wake up every morning, look in the mirror and think of all of the things you love about yourself. Really think! Be creative. These can be super broad, such as... "I love my work ethic", "I love how often I exercise", or "I think I'm really funny". Or you can be more specific, such as... "I'm having an awesome hair day!", "That pimple went away!", "I have pretty eyes", "I worked really hard on that paper, I'm proud of my work", or "I ate really healthy this morning". The list can be infinite.

By thinking of these remarkable characteristics of yourself, you start each day brand new. You're ready to conquer the adversity of the day because you've reminded yourself that no matter what happens, you still have all of these fabulous features. For example you may receive a bad grade on your paper and feel disheartened but then you can remember that you worked really hard on that paper and that you're proud of your work. Instead of sulking, this can entice you to talk to your professor about your grade and fight for the work you've done.

We put so much focus into what we need to change about ourselves that we never stop and take time to appreciate who we already are. By pausing and thinking of all of the awesome aspects about ourselves, we can raise our self esteem and bring ourselves out of negative situations quicker. We can start the day on a happy note, and hopefully end it on a happy note too. Learn to love yourself, there are infinite things to love about you.