If you are anything like me, you can never just live in the moment and you’re always worried about the future.
No matter how hard I try, I’m always looking to the weeks and months ahead in my planner and unnecessarily stressing myself out. It wasn’t until I started seeing content on Instagram and TikTok about romanticizing my life that I finally stopped to reevaluate.
To be honest, I had no idea what the phrase “romanticizing my life” even meant until I decided to Google it. The phrase essentially means enjoying the little moments in life or taking boring tasks in your daily routine and spicing them up a bit to make them more enjoyable. This could be as simple as buying a new mug for your morning coffee, getting fancy ice cube trays to have different shaped ice cubes or buying a journal to keep track of the little things in life.
Running around all day and keeping yourself on a strict routine can get boring and aggravating very quickly and it seems like we’re always searching for something new, but just not sure where to find it. Feeling like you’re floating through life and going through the motions of your schedule is extremely unfulfilling and isn’t sustainable for long-term happiness.
Romanticizing your life is the perfect way to still stick to your schedule, while also finding more time for yourself throughout the day.
Don’t get me wrong, this is much easier said than done and it might even seem overwhelming if you’re not sure where to start. For me, it was easiest to start with my morning routine and see how I could change it up to enjoy getting ready more and not dread waking up.
I started waking up earlier so I had more time to invest in myself before I ran out the door. I took more time to accessorize and even started writing in a journal every morning to log my thoughts and emotions. Taking the time to slow down and try new jewelry and outfit combinations or just look out the window and write down whatever emotions I was feeling helped me appreciate the beauty of a new day, while also learning something new about myself.
Once I felt like I had really transformed my morning routine, I began to focus more on my night routine because I knew I cut a lot of corners, especially on a really rough day. Romanticizing your night routine is not only a great way to decompress after a stressful day, but it also sets the tone for the type of sleep you are going to get and how you’re going to wake up the next morning. It all comes full circle.
I started doing a full skin care routine and trying more products to switch it up and not get stuck with the same few products. I also lit a candle and turned on all my decorative lights to make the mood more relaxing and calm compared to the harsh white light in my apartment.
As cheesy as it sounds, putting on some jazz or instrumental music and snuggling up with a good book was such a nice alternative compared to mindlessly scrolling on my phone. It allowed me to escape the crazy world around me, while also keeping me entertained and engaged.
I’ve noticed that in starting to romanticize my life and continually searching for new things to love about myself and about the world around me, I truly have become more happy and appreciative. It might sound dramatic, but keeping myself to such a strict schedule and not allowing myself to ever breathe was slowly killing me and I just didn’t enjoy the day.
I highly recommend starting this process and trying to learn something new about yourself, because life is too precious to not cherish it and flourish as much as possible. There’s tons of inspiration on TikTok, Instagram and Pinterest if you’re stuck and don’t know where to start, but keeping in mind that everyone’s journey is different is also equally important.