Article: If you spend the majority of your days doing things you don't enjoy or feel connected to in any way, then it's no wonder you're feeling down. Find time, either on the weekends or during work/school breaks, to do things you are passionate about.  These activities should be active (though not necessarily physically), engaging activities. Passive activities like watching TV or surfing the web don't count. The key is to do something that occupies 100% of your attention and forces you to be in the present moment rather than letting your mind drift off to negative thoughts. If you don't have any enjoyable hobbies or interests, then find some. It could be an outdoor activity like golf, tennis, swimming, or hiking, an artistic activity like music, painting, or photography, or a philanthropic activity like volunteering at an animal shelter. Having tangible things to work toward will instantly make you feel more enthusiastic about life, and give your life a sense of purpose. Your goals can be personal, having to do with your career, education, or personal relationships, or they can be external, like striving to make a positive impact on your community.  Set both short-term and long-term goals. For example, make a list of things you need to get done today, like finishing your homework, buying groceries, or walking the dog, and check each one off as you go. This will give you a sense of accomplishment and motivation to leave the house. If you are having trouble setting long-term goals because you don't know what you want to do with your life, then start by asking yourself what kind of legacy you want to leave behind. How do you want to be remembered by people once you are gone? What kind of impact do you want to make on the world? Whatever your long-term goal(s) are, be sure that they are things that you genuinely care about and want, not necessarily things that your parents or people around you are pressuring you to do. While you want your goals to be realistic, they shouldn't necessarily be easy. Easy goals won't push you past your comfort zone or make you feel accomplished or excited. Don't underestimate your own abilities by setting mediocre goals. If there are specific people or things in your life that are truly getting you down, then it's important to remove them as soon as possible. If your job is making you miserable, then quit. If you are in an unhappy or abusive relationship, then end it immediately. There will always be aspects of your life that annoy or irritate you, but that doesn't necessarily mean getting rid of all of them. The key is to determine whether the benefits of having the person or thing in your life outweigh the negative. For example, school or work may be exhausting, but the benefit of being educated and able to support yourself financially are worth the hard work you put in. Similarly, the support and unconditional love you receive from your family are a fair trade for the occasional fighting and bickering. No matter how wonderful your life becomes, it will always seem horrible if you have horrible thoughts. Our thoughts have the power to transform the world around us for either the better or the worse. Happy people aren't necessarily the ones with the best circumstances; they are the ones with the best attitudes. Learning to pay more attention to your thoughts is the first step toward becoming more positive. Notice when you are having excessively pessimistic or negative thoughts, and tell yourself "I'm being very negative right now." Eventually, you will learn to become your own happiness coach by reminding yourself to stop approaching things from such a negative point of view. Having a sedentary lifestyle is not only detrimental to your physical health, putting you at greater risk for obesity and cancer, it also negatively effects your emotional health, causing you to feel lethargic, bored, and apathetic. You should get at least 30 minutes of physical activity everyday. This doesn't mean you have to join a gym or play an organized sport. Even the simple act of walking around the mall or park for an hour is enough to do the trick.  It's especially important to conscious effort to get up and moving if you work a desk job or are a student and spend most of your time sitting at a desk studying. Buy a pedometer to track the number of steps you take in a day. If you are walking enough, then you don't necessarily need to have formal exercise every day. Make small lifestyle changes to fit more activity into your day. Park further away from your destination, take the stairs rather than the elevator, and do chores around the house.

What is a summary?
Spend more time doing things that you genuinely enjoy. Make goals. Cut out the bad. Learn to control negative thoughts. Get active.