The new year is a time to start fresh and let's be honest, some things just need to come to a stop. "New year, new me" is a common saying at the beginning of each year, but maybe you just need to make a couple of small adjustments in order to achieve the best version of you in 2018.

1. Allowing others to bring you down.

This is the first rule on the list because as cliche as it is, don't let others control your happiness.

2. Dwelling on the past.

Everything happens for a reason. Focusing on your future and learning from past mistakes is how you grow as a person. Let go of the past and think positive thoughts for the future.

3. Caring what other people think.

This is way too common in today's century. The only opinion that matters is your own. Go with your gut and don't give others the satisfaction of controlling you.

4. Making impulse buys.

It's too easy. You're bored at home or taking a study break and start online "browsing." Before you know it you're on the Forever 21 website with 40 dollars worth of clothes in your cart (oops).

5. Going to bed with your makeup on.

We all have those nights where we get into bed, turn on whatever Netflix show we are binge-watching at the time, and fall asleep to that "Are you still watching?" notification. But taking the time to wash your face before getting comfortable will help show your skin some extra love and prevent pesky breakouts.

6. Following people on social media that you genuinely don’t like.

This year it's time to have a social media cleanse. Don't waste your time on those who don't have a place in your life or even worse, those who you dislike.

7. Just having 4 to 5 hours of sleep every night.

As a college student, we constantly stay up way later than we need to. On the nights we aren't cramming in the library for a test the next day, stop wasting time and start getting some shut-eye.

8. Leaving lights on in a room you are not in.

All of my roommates are guilty of this, sorry girls (myself included). But let's start flipping the light switch when we leave a room and saving some money on the electric bill.

9. Eating out.

When you are low on time it is so easy to just swing through the Chick-Fil-A drive-thru instead of going home and making a turkey sandwich. Eating out is fine when you want to treat yourself, but if you do it all the time it stops being a treat.

10. Worrying about things you can't control.

Between school, a social life, and everything in between we have plenty of things to worry about and balance in our lives. So let's stop focusing on things out of our control and start focusing on the things we can.