Dear High School Girls

Over the weekend, circumstances brought me back to a high school. As a sophomore in college, it's been a while since I've been sitting on a set of gym bleachers, surrounded by high school students anxious to celebrate homecoming. One thing that really stuck out to me was the cliques of high school girls around me, and how I was in their place only a few years ago. It really got me thinking about how I wish someone had given me some advice while I was still there, so that's what I'm going to do now for you girls.

Stop getting yourself involved in "drama." It's petty, it isn't worth it, and it honestly amounts to nothing in the end.  When you graduate, are you even going to remember the reason why you stopped talking to your best friend for a week? Sure, you'll probably learn to laugh about it down the road, but there's no use in getting yourself worked up about something stupid.

Which brings me to my second point: boys. You don't have to try so hard to "impress" a guy that you like, and if you do, he's not someone that you want to be with. If you do have a boyfriend, make sure that you don't devote 100% of your time to him and only him. You're going to find that if you do that, you're going to lose valuable friendships along the way. You'll go through your fair share of heartbreak, but what you don't realize now is that you have a whole lifetime ahead of you to worry about relationships and finding someone that you want to be with. Chances are, you'll find him in the most unsuspecting place. For now, worry about finding yourself.

High school is one of the biggest opportunities to find out who you really are. If you want to join a club or take up a hobby that other people think is lame, do it anyways! The only thing that matters is if you are happy, not about "following the crowd." Be your own person and make your own happiness.

These four years are such a small portion of your life compared to what is to come. If you're going to college, you're going to discover that there's a whole world out there that you have yet to discover. Everything will work itself out, even if it doesn't seem like it. I promise that you will find happiness in the oddest of places. Right now, focus on your friendships and doing well in your classes. Forget the negative and do what you want to do, because in the end, it makes all the difference.

Top 10 Lazy Day Ideas

I'm a busy person, plain and simple. Between everything that I'm involved with both through my university, writing for outside sources, being with friends and everything in between, it can be hard to find down time for myself. When I finally do have a day where I don't have much to do, there's a few things that make me feel cozy and content. Here's my top 10 list to you, in hopes that you'll find them just as relaxing on your lazy afternoons off as I do:

1.) Drink lots of coffee and tea.
Ah, two of my favorite words. The first thing that I love to do is flip on my Keurig and brew a perfect cup of either hazelnut coffee or green tea (feel free to pick your own poison.) They both give me an extra boost of energy and taste delicious. Warm and wonderful, they guarantee a great start to my day.

2.) Comfy clothes.
If there's no pressing matters that I have to attend to or anywhere that I have to be, go-to outfit is generally my laziest pair of sweatpants and a hoodie. I tend to be the type of person who stays away from wearing sweatpants to class (because Lord knows I'll doze off,) so they add to putting me in a relaxing mood for sure.

3.) Candles, candles, candles.
My room isn't complete until it has a perfect scent, and neither are my lazy days. I have a million (maybe not quite, but just about) wax melt tarts that I put in a candle warmer that i bought for $6 and it works like a charm. Wildberry cheesecake, vanilla cookie crunch, apple cinnamon - you name it, I've got it. The aromas quickly fill up any room and help to relieve stress.

4.) Get a little bit of your work done.
Personally, I find myself more at peace when I've finished any pressing articles or assignments that I know I need to get done. Even if you know you only have 1 paper that's coming up within the week, you'll be happy that you got it done sooner rather than later so that you can focus your energy elsewhere.

5.) Tidy up, re-decorate, and re-organize.
I'm definitely the type of person who loves consistently changing up my room or re-organizing certain set ups I might have in my room. If you're room is a complete pigsty, I highly recommend at least putting your dirty clothes in your hamper before getting too comfortable. This way, you know that you won't have as much to do later and you'll feel less like you're procrastinating.

6.) Catch up with friends and family back home.
If you're away from home like I am, you might find yourself missing some of your favorite people miles away every now and then. With such a busy schedule, it's easy for me to remember or find the time to call friends and family during the week. What better time to share a good laugh or story over the phone than when you have nothing to do?

7.) Write.
Okay, I know we all don't love to write as much as I do. I literally always find myself writing 24/7 because A.) I'm obsessed with it and B.) it's honestly such a great outlet for any kind of emotion. Just writing down what you're feeling can make things seem a lot better if you're super stressed out.

8.) Create the perfect playlist.
If you already have one, awesome. If you don't, make one! Having a playlist of some of your favorite music playing in the background of whatever you're doing can make your lazy day even just a little better. If you don't have any music on your iTunes account, create a Spotify account through Facebook and have unlimited access through your laptop.

9.) Netflix.
You know how I said that coffee and tea were two of my favorite words in my first item on this list? Yeah, well Netflix is definitely a third favorite word of mine. So many shows and movies, so many devices, and so cheap! How could you say no to a scary movie on a chilly fall afternoon cocooned in your room?

10.) Fuzzy everything.
If you know me, then you know that I adore soft blankets and pillows more than anything. They can be incredibly therapeutic and are definitely a mood booster for any person. Fuzzy blankets, fuzzy pillows, fuzzy socks . . . who could ask for anything more!?