Her Campus Logo Her Campus Logo
girl laying down on flowers
girl laying down on flowers
Photo by Joshua Fuller from Unsplash
NCSU | Culture > Entertainment

Maintaining whimsy when life is so serious!

Clara Paige Beatty Student Contributor, North Carolina State University
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at NCSU chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

When times are tough I like to remind myself that I can be fun and whimsical regardless of the situation. I have things I do to root myself in who I know myself to be. Here are my five favorite things to do to bring back the once lively girl that still lives within me! 

  1. Pinterest! I love to scroll on Pinterest to plan my next craft or to get fashion inspo. Pinterest takes away the performative aspect of social media. You are scrolling just to scroll and to let your creative juices flow through an outlet that is not reliant on the feedback from others. I like to look through Pinterest and listen to my favorite music to wind down and relax when I get anxious about school. 
  2. Arts and crafts! There is nothing that helps me wind down quite like a cutie little craft. Whether that be painting, coloring, or making jewelry, there is nothing that brings me so much joy. We live in a world that really values buying things for quantity rather than quality and I believe that learning to build something on your own that you can be proud of and don’t have to buy from a store. 
  3. Window shopping! In a similar vein I think just going out and window shopping does the soul good. There is no reason to go and buy the latest and greatest, but I think it is good to gain inspiration from what you can see inside a store. I take my window shopping experience straight to the thrift store. This way I can support my local thrift store, spend way less money, and not contribute to the ever growing problem of capitalism!
  4. Posting on social media for yourself! Social media is a terribly hateful place to be and what better way to make it less toxic by putting out your own content into the world. It doesn’t need to be for fame or for views but it can just be to capture a cute outfit or a fun day. It makes me feel more positive about the internet as a whole and it only really matters to me!
  5. Rewatching movies and rewearing clothes! Reusing things is so cool. I love it when I find an outfit that makes me feel confident and beautiful, so why not wear it over and over again. What is truly uncool is noticing when someone wears an outfit twice and making a judgement based on it. Similarly I think rewatching movies is good for the soul. I love to revisit movies that used to make me laugh or cry or are just filled with nostalgia. Movies are such a good way to reconnect with your sense of self and to revisit the stories that are important to you.
Clara Paige Beatty

NCSU '28

Hi! My name is Clara Paige Beatty and I am a Sophomore here at NC State University. I am a Psychology major with minors in social work and political science. This is my second year working with HerCampus and I am so excited to be a part of this group of lovely women.

I am from Statesville, North Carolina, and graduated from North Iredell High School. While I was there, I was captain of the tennis team and also served on the student council. I also contributed to the prom committee and reintroduced the male pageant “Mr. North Iredell”. One of my most memorable projects was creating, by hand, a Barbie-themed trunk for the school’s Trunk or Treat event, where I had the honor of leading my group as President Barbie!

In my free time I love to go thrifting, get way too many ear piercings, and craft. I am super invested in all things pop culture, fashion, and film related. I also spend lots of time listening to music and curating playlists. After college I plan on working towards getting my masters degree in school psychology and plan on working in elementary schools.