So I’ve been M.I.A…..

I’ve also been the happiest.

The end of the academic year may have been the most fun I’ve had at St. Bonaventure University all year.

Sunny days and few to no obligations meant relaxing with the boyfriend and friends while praying final grades were good.

I acquired a golden tan. And maybe a few pounds, which I’m feverishly trying to work off now.

But I ended the semester with a 3.62 grade point average. My boyfriend even made the Dean’s List (Thanks to my help.)

The boyfriend graduated May 12 and I’m a very proud girlfriend.

However, this leads us into another long-distance relationship summer. I know we will both be so busy time will speed. We have a bright future, that’s positive encouragement.

I tell myself it’s not a matter of counting days or dreading on how much we miss each other. It’s “I’ll see you soon.”

Fighting discouragement

Discouraged?

You bet.

I want to be like Jillian Michaels when I grow up as a side job.

I want to encourage people to lose weight and feel great about themselves.

And I want to look great. (I’ve seen chunkier days.)

I try and train regularly at the gym. At times I get in such a habit that I’d consider myself a gym rat and health freak.

Then again sometimes I fall out of that cycle because I’m injury prone.

Like now with a throbbing pain in my knee.

Like my mysterious sprained ankle in January and ongoing shoulder pain when I lift weights.

I’m 20 years old.

How does one be happy in the most unwelcome situations?

I don’t hold the answers because I struggle with remaining positive.

One must know when to push through the pain and when to stop and take a break.

Spread cheer with Happier the app

“Happier is a simple and beautiful way to collect and share happy moments with people you care about. In creating our app we were inspired by research that shows focusing on the positive and sharing good things with close friends and family makes you happier and healthier.”

How cool is this?

An app called Happier allows you to collect moments throughout your day that made you smile and then share them with family and friends.

The purpose? To remind you to do more of what makes you happy.

Instances of happiness to share include eating something you enjoy, getting an email from a friend or a hug from your kids, according to creator Nataly Kogan.

To share moments, one takes a picture accompanied by a few words. Categories of happy moments include food, exercise or family and friends. When one shares four moments a day, he or she will receive a surprise.

The app is available for download on iPhones and iPod touches. I did, however, find a website version complete with science, videos and a blog.

This app amazes me. Maybe I’m biased because my blog focuses on happiness. But this app will benefit society. And research proves that.

Happiness in art form

No, I didn’t have art class with a bunch of elementary school-aged children today.

Inspiration for my sun of happiness came from Esquire magazine’s fiction napkin project.

A necessity for journalists in the 21st century includes creating a story through any platform of media.

And in a class of upcoming professionals, we all put our creativity to the test.

As torturous as writing some form of story on a solid sheet of yellow paper sounded, I cut it up and reminded myself of my sources of happiness.

Sometimes scribbled-down words remind you to be grateful for what you have.

Plan to be stress-free and happy

Spring has sprung (at least until Mother Nature decides to snow on Western New York again.)

That means end of the semester stress and finals on top of finals for most college students.

An internal debate occurs in the minds of college students between the urge to give up on everything and play outside with a few beers or sit in the dungeon of a library for endless hours.

In a few short weeks summer will be here but that also means less time with college friends.

Stay calm, remain happy.

A recent survey by psychologist and self-help author Robert Epstein found that 25 percent of happiness hinges on how well we’re able to manage stress.

The stress management technique that worked best, according to the survey: planning.

Understanding a man’s relationship with sports

Women, agree with me, we’ve had enough sports.

Don’t get me wrong, I love my Bonnies, Buffalo Bills and whatever game of the week is on.

But night after night, game after game, don’t these men ever get tired of watching men?

I don’t even know how their minds hold all that information about 60 players from the NFL, 37 college basketball players, 45 NBA players, 16 hockey players, and the list goes on.

Women cook, create, exercise, read and let the mind wander to make them happy.

But for men, once the game plays on television, nothing else in the world matters.

Sometimes I feel like my boyfriend loves sports and his boyfriends more and would rather watch Erin Andrews than spend time with me.

Take the money you throw away on the NFL Sunday Ticket, endless brackets and losing bets, and take me out to dinner dammit!

With the conclusion of March Madness I don’t think I ever want to watch another basketball game again and I’d rather have a conversation with my boyfriend without his eyes glued to the latest sports news. In my estimation, the average male spends over 15 hours a week watching sports programming. Yes, that’s including the endless loops of Sports Center. So why do sports make men so damn happy?

Consider boobs, beers and testosterone.

1. Boobs

During the NFL season, beautiful bombshells prance along the sidelines. Cut to commercial break and an up-close breast shot fills the television and men pant for more. Once basketball season arrives, younger women in short skirts spread their legs and bear their stomachs. And baseball, well hit the ballpark and you’ll find some cleavage-bearing, butt cheek showing 20-something professing her love to be the next “Mrs. Jeter.”

2. Beers
What better excuse to tailgate and get drunk at 1 p.m. on a Sunday than watching football? Oh, that Monday night game of the week, Thursday night game, Saturday college football game too… hitting the bar to watch the baseball team, oh right the viewing party for the championship….

3. Testosterone
Because who else will take the harassment and bullying these men give these players on television that CAN’T HEAR THEM. Please, take your panties out of a bunch. I promise your friends will still think you’re manly if you don’t call every player a derogatory term. Besides, watching up to 20 hours of television a week lowers sperm count.

I don’t understand why men get so attached to sports when the team always ends up breaking their heart.

I can give him everything sports do and make him even happier. Once one season ends another begins, but me, I’m stable for the most part.

A clear, happy mind in Connecticut

This past weekend, my happiness accumulated from waking up to 50 degree weather, eating fresh bakery bagels and running down to the beach.

Add in some quality time with my boyfriend and his family, and my gloomy attitude from living in a snow-ridden area for endless months disappeared.

I spent the long Easter weekend in Madison, Conn.

The sun shone every day and I discovered flower buds of spring that created the perfect getaway from winter.

However, I enjoyed the two and three mile runs down to the beach the most.

Running beside my boyfriend in such perfect conditions gave me a high greater than any runner’s endorphins created from miles logged on the treadmill.

Once my boyfriend and I stopped at the beach, I took in the laughter of the little girls performing cartwheels and the calm of the beach before the summer season rushed in.

With no care in the world, I watched the wind ripple the water and felt the strong breeze whip through my hair.

Back in July I visited my boyfriend. Seeing the beach brought back those memories and created a sense of peace and tranquility in me.

Now if only spring would return to St. Bonaventure, N.Y….

Photo by Barrett Telford

Photo by Barrett Telford

Putting rules on happiness

Caught up in the midst of a society running on coffee for endless meetings, appointments and assignments, can one really relax and enjoy the things one loves? How can one be happy if he or she doesn’t necessarily enjoy this lifestyle?

Yes, I run a blog on happiness but throughout the process I encountered some of the unhappiest times of my life.

Circulating through the Instagram world, a picture that stated the “Five Simple Rules for Happiness” intrigued me because it reminded me to slow down and do what I love.

The rules follow:

1. Free your heart from hatred.
2. Free your mind from worries.
3. Live Simple.
4. Give more.
5. Expect less.

Given these five rules, I’d like to interpret them.

1. It takes more muscles to frown than smile, so smile. Have a happier outlook on life. Quit worrying about that enemy and avoiding the girl who apparently gave you a dirty look two months ago. And if she did, so what. Kill her with kindness.

2. Six or sixty years from now, who knows what will happen? Today, focus on important goals. Take one thing at a time. Study for that test tonight and then worry what appetizer to bring to the party Saturday. Live in the moment.

3. Obsessions of society include designer brands and the latest technological trends. Summer brings simplicity when I eat fresh salads, throw on shorts and a tank, and spend time with family. I don’t even own a smart phone and sometimes I enjoy disconnecting from social media. Live for carefree days.

4. People who volunteer tend to have a higher self-esteem, physiological well-being, and happiness. Cook a dinner for friends or donate that old pair of jeans to the less fortunate. People will show appreciation.

5. If one always counts on others for happiness, one will face disappointment. Not wanting everything makes surprises that much better. Rejection sucks.

Take a break and cater these rules to life starting today. I guarantee happiness will follow.

Sad movies: Proven to cure unhappiness

Sad movies can create happiness.

Crazy, right?

But think about it. Curled up in bed in comfy pajamas with a teddy bear post-breakup or when down in the dumps after a terrible day. Maybe even noshing down a favorite Ben & Jerry’s, pop a favorite chick flick in the DVD player and cry for an hour and a half.

Afterwards, there’s a feeling of satisfaction. Full, maybe, from the overindulgence of sweets, but ladies, who needs that man anyways?

A new study from researchers at Ohio State University found that sad films tend to make people happier. Most people enjoy watching tragedies because it forces them to reflect on their own relationships, which are generally a major source of happiness in life. Associate Professor Silvia Knobloch-Westerwick, who led the study, said when people watch tragic movies it conjures up a “count your blessings” mentality about their relationships with loved ones, and brightens moods in the short-term. But is this really true?

I know I’m guilty.

Justin Timberlake: Relating mom and daughter

The thirteen-year-old me cried a tear of joy when Justin Timberlake announced his comeback to the pop music scene after a seven year hiatus.

FutureSex/LoveSounds still sneaks into the shuffle of songs on my pink Apple iPod Nano and I can’t resist singing along and gushing at every word Timberlake serenades me with.

And my fifty-something year-old mother wishes she embodied Jessica Biel. Sorry mom, I’m claiming JT if they ever divorce.

“For the record, I’m very happy he is singing again,” mom said. “I just don’t care for the juvenile sex crap. Grow it up.”

Then the eight-year-old me listened to the *NSYNC Greatest Hits Album sixteen times. Meanwhile, the twenty-year-old me laughed at my mother for wiping the dust off and talking about how she “grooved” to it.

Mom’s also argued with me for years about who possesses the *NSYNC Home for Christmas Album. To think we don’t get mad at the other for taping a poster of our lover on her bedroom wall like sisters.

Justin Timberlake brought us together.