Waking up happy is a goal that I think that everyone should have. It is beneficial to everyone: you, because more rest equals a happier person, and everyone else because dealing with a happier person is much better than dealing with a crabbier person. While waking up happy is not always feasible due to unforeseen circumstances, you can try these five tips below to at least attempt to wake up happier.
1.) Get enough rest. 

If you had to choose only one tip to follow from this list, I would highly recommend selecting this one. There is no remedy that can effectively replace getting enough sleep. And for you coffee-addicts--yes, I'm calling you out--no, not even coffee can. Coffee spikes up your adrenalin and causes you to crash. Tell me, what good can come from feeling just as bad (or even worse) than when you woke up?  Very little. So do yourself a favor and get at the very minimum 8 hours of sleep! You'll wake up feeling better and happier.
2.)  Get as much done for the next day as possible.
Do as much as possible to help make the next morning less stressful. You can pack a lunch. You can plan what you are going to wear, iron the clothes, and hang them up. You can load the dishwasher to turn on in the morning, or unload it. You can place your keys near your purse. Do whatever it takes so that when you wake up, you don't have to think about what needs to get done or what you cannot forget. (Note: you most likely will forget it if you keep stressing about not forgetting it.)
3.) Drink a glass of water when you wake up.
Drinking a glass of water as soon as you wake up is a great way to refuel your body. When you are sleep, you are dehydrated. Your body is majority water. Everything--and I mean everything--that happens inside your body requires water. So, do your body a favor and drink up! You'll feel refueled and ready to take on the day.
4.) Open the shades and let the sunshine in.
Personally, this is my top tip for helping me wake up happy. Waking up with the sun is one of my favorite things to do. Seeing the peeks of light in my bedroom makes me smile, and I do the cliche "stretch and yawn" thing. (Haha.) Fact: Your body stops secreting melatonin (a hormone that makes you tired) when daylight arrives. So take the opportunity to feel more awake by letting the sun in!
5.) Stay off electronics or social media until you leave home.
Give yourself time to wake up. I am aware that it's a habit for about 95% of those with electronics to jump right on them when they first wake up (I'm guilty!), but try not to. One, you don't want the glare of electronic lights to be the first thing you see when you get up. Two, let your mind relax and not worry about the flooding of information that checking your e-mail, Twitter, Tumblr, and Facebook can provide.

Being a black female with natural hair is an empowering thing. It allows me to embrace my roots in a way that makes me the most comfortable.  Going natural may not be everyone's part of the woods (and that's fine!), but it has been something that I have enjoyed. The struggle of not having straight hair has been somewhat of a pest, but I am able to do a lot more with healthy hair than I ever would have with, well, with what I had before. I am able to wear my hair in cute little, curly afros. Braids are a healthy way to keep my hands out of my hair while still looking nice. I can also go swimming without having to be afraid of a perm and chlorine mixing in a not-so-good way. Natural hair is perfect for my lifestyle.

But there is always a negative to anything. The negative to having natural hair is the unsolicited comments that are thrown our way. I've been rocking natural hair for a good four, five years, and have encountered many comments in that time. Some of them have been good, but some have been bad. A lot of the bad comments have been unintentionally offensive (at least that's what I'm hoping), or simply rude. Others are just quite annoying. So, to keep you from being one of those people that probably do not know they are offending someone with natural hair, let me tell you what you probably should not say when you encounter one.

1.) "Are you going to do your hair?" Please, please, please do not ask someone going natural this question. It is beyond annoying. It insinuates that their hair is not done, and newsflash: this is how they intended it to be. All hair doesn't have to be pressed, permed, braided, or curled for it to be done.

2.) "What are you mixed with? You can't be all black." ...honestly, I have no idea what to say when someone says this to me. Actually, I was just asked this two weekends ago, and I'm still very astounded. I know that the comment was probably not intended to be offensive, but I still got defensive when I heard it. What is it about being all black that gives the connotation that we cannot have good hair? Do not assume, for both your and natural girls'sake.

3.) "Can I touch your hair?" While I appreciate your politeness for not just touching my hair without asking, no, please do not ask at all. I'm not an exotic animal, and would prefer if you didn't pet me like one. Note: If someone says no, don't touch their hair. It's the same premise of "no means no".

4.) "Natural hair isn't for everybody." This is probably the worst comment. When people say this, I wonder if they ever think before they speak. What do you mean that the hair that grew on somebody's head isn't for them?

5.) "What product do you use to make your hair so curly?" I don't understand why this is even a question. While there are, in fact, products that can be used to enhance curls, this is one of those pestering questions that are asked a lot. I wet my hair....that's it.

6.) "Is that all your hair?" I think that this can be said for both natural hair girls and non-natural hair girls: do not EVER ask whether someone's hair is theirs or not. It's beyond rude! Whenever I hear this, I feel the urge to say, "If I paid for it, then it's still my hair, but it's none of your dang business whether or not it is." However, I stick with the response of, "Yes, it is." Just know that when you ask this, you are probably getting the worse cussing out of your life in that girl's head.

Warmer weather.

That is one of the few instant mood-boosters that actually work for me. There is something so relaxing about being able to open windows and breathe in fresh air. I can drive with my windows down. I can finally get my Vitamin D! (That is something major for a summer bum like me. I hate winter for the lack of sun.) I can finally go outside and not freeze my bum off. (If you live on the East Coast or in the Midwest, then I know you understand my pain. That was a pain in my arse this past winter.) But, hey, let me not dwell on that. It's a new dawn, it's a new day, it's a new life. (I don't know why that song just came into my head. Haha.)

Music is another one of my instant mood-boosters. I mean, there is an infinite amount of music out in the universe right now. If I wanted to, I could have music for days when I feel sad; for times when I feel overjoyed; for moments where I want to have a mini-dance party in my bedroom, jumping around and using a hairbrush as a microphone; for hours when I want to drive down a dirt-road with my windows down; for seconds where I just cannot for the life of me decide what I want to listen to. That's why music means so much to me: it's always there whenever I need it.

Annnnnnnnd, because of that, I want to share with you my top 15 songs that immediately boosts my mood, regardless to how I actually feel. (No, seriously. Play any of these, and I won't have a choice but to sing and dance like an idiot. ;)