No one actually tells you how to romanticize your life.

I was talking with one of my best friends on the phone the other day.

It was a road-trip call. I was passing the time on the barren Indiana highways yapping to one of my long-distance girlies. We caught up on our life happenings, giggling, and reminiscing. The conversation melted into our current mental states and how happy each of us were in our lives. We related on how hard it is to actually maintain a joyful state of life.

And of course it is. We’re human at the end of the day.

But when she asked me how I stay “happy”, I found myself telling her about the smallest thing.

“I think it’s all about waking up, in the innocence of those first moments, putting your feet on the ground, and taking a deep breath. Going through your morning slowly, relishing in the smell of your fresh sheets, the coffee brewing, the fresh air if you step outside. Looking in the mirror at your puffy face and giggling at how crazy your hair looks.”

I surprised myself. Not because what I said was crazy. But because what I said was so simple.

What I said happened to be “romanticization” in it’s cringiest, purest form. It was going through the most mundane moments of my morning, and making them feel like they came out of a storybook.

Lately, I do think that the concept of “romanticizing your life” is quite overdone. And misunderstood.

You open TikTok and all you see is a girl in the most aesthetic apartment taking us through her 5-9 after her 9-5 office job. She has the most expensive skincare products and the softest and silkiest pajamas. She eats the healthiest food and seems to have so much money. And you scroll and scroll.

It’s all the same. I do this too. I create videos like this. Everyone wants to emulate the feeling that one video gave you. The feeling of accomplishment and luxury and stability.

But life’s not like that. Almost ever. What we see online is curated. Always. Even if it doesn’t seem like it.

Which is impossible. How are we ever supposed to “romanticize” the everyday if we don’t have all of those coveted things?

How do we embrace this mindset?

“Romanticizing your life” offers you an alternative to seeking escape from the everyday. You don’t have to embark on these extravagant adventures or make drastic life changes to find contentment.

It’s a shift. It’s shifting your perspective to find beauty and warmth in the ordinary moments.

And we live in an awful world. One marked by fracture and instability, where daily challenges like war, rising living costs, and environmental concerns abound. But this doesn’t make your personal experiences unworthy of celebration.

It’s not about denying reality or being self-absorbed: rather, it’s a way of acknowledging the world’s challenges while actively choosing to find happiness in your daily routines. Whether it’s working, exercising, or running your vacuum (lol), embracing this mindset can transform these seemingly mundane tasks into enjoyable experiences, ultimately leading to more joy in your life.

It sounds so simple, doesn’t it? Well, not really. Because in a world where “romanticize your life” is thrown around like a buzzword, and represented by curated videos, no one is actually telling you how to do it. That’s where, I feel, I can help.

Here’s just a few steps to maybe encourage you to start romanticizing your life.

-          Lean into music. Create a playlist for every emotion, every season, every life event. There’s something to be said about the way music can make you feel. Can be tied to a moment so tight, it comes back to you each time you hear a certain chord.

-          Pair things you dislike (unloading the dishwasher or scrubbing the shower) with something you love (watching Criminal Minds, talking with your long distance bestie, or listening to classical music.)

-          Turn your phone on DND as much as you can

-          Seek the sun. Whenever it chooses to peek out, especially in winter,

-          Indulge in everyday luxuries like silky sheets, lighting those candles you’ve had forever, spritz perfume into the air and walk through it.

-          Do things you’re scared to do, even something as simple as telling the girl on the street that you love her hair. Apply for that job you’ve always wanted. Sign up for a class to learn something new. Start a blog😊

-          Do nice things for others. Donate to causes you care about. Volunteer your time just to make someone’s day. Make someone smile by venoming them for coffee or buying them flowers or text them that you’ve been thinking about them.

-          Take pictures of everything. Have dinner parties. Start a book club.

-          Do things for yourself. Indulge in self-care like there’s no tomorrow.

-          Bake banana bread. Cook one of your favorite meals from your childhood.

-          Take five minutes to scroll through Pinterest and dream board. Rearrange your room to bring a new perspective to your space. Buy one new thing that you’ve been thinking about for ages and style it accordingly.

-          Read. Inhale books like oxygen. If you can’t travel, this might be the quickest way to emulate it.

-          Dance and sing along to your favorite songs as much as you can.

-          Acknowledge that it is a beautiful thing to exist right now, in a part of the world that is at peace. It is a privilege to be able to read books and buy flowers and take everything showers and plan trips to Europe with your friends in the summer just because you’ve always wanted to.

-          Plan something for yourself. A solo date, or a call with a friend, or simply a time to make an afternoon coffee. Looking forward to something is one of the simplest ways to feel alive.

-          Surprise your friends. Bake them something sweet just because, or call them up out of the blue to tell them how much you love them. Write to your parents, or plan a facetime to a loved one who lives far away. Plan trips to see those you can’t live without.

And above all else, schedule 2 minutes into each and every day to simply feel your feet on the ground. It could be on your fluffy carpet, or in your sneakers, or your bare feet in the grass. Take a moment to fully bring yourself into the present. You’re alive. You’re lucky. And there is no one who will ever truly understand what it’s like to be in your mind, in your body. That’s a beautiful thing.

You have you. All to yourself.

How romantic is that?

Take time and space to cherish the everyday things that, in the wise words of Kacey Musgraves, “I would miss, from the other side.”

Talk soon,

Hannah