Has your day-to-day been feeling mundane or uninspiring lately? The solution to that dilemma might just be to romanticize your life! It can be incredibly easy to get stuck in a rut without stopping to smell the roses or spruce things up. However, consider this your reminder to start injecting pleasure, creativity, beauty, play, and romance into your days. This list will give you concrete ways to do just that!
1- Adopt the mindset that your life is abundant with plenty to romanticize.
Since no life advice is complete without the mindset component, of course this is #1 on the list. If you believe that your life is uninteresting and bound to stay that way, the tips below might not make a substantial difference by themselves. Fully appreciating the hidden treasures in your life starts by acknowledging their existences and leaning into them. You could work a “boring” job, have a small social circle, lead a minimalist lifestyle, etc. None of those things, though, mean that your life can’t be interesting, fun, beautiful, romantic, etc. It can be all of those things and more if you choose for it to be. It all circles back to last month’s Monthly Mindset Shift, The Power of Perception—life is what you make it. The choice is yours!
2- Keep various journals for various purposes, and reread them often.
I know I probably sound like a broken record when it comes to journaling, but that’s because the limit doesn’t exist to how many benefits it can offer! What better way to romanticize your life than to look back on old writing of yours to see how far you & your life have come? In addition to keeping a regular daily journal, I also keep a dream journal, which can be even more entertaining to reread than my regular one! Journaling of all kinds can make your life feel like a movie. The journal entries are the script, and you’re both the main character AND the writer. That means that you have all the power in the world to make it a movie worth watching!
3- Take the scenic route when you can.
Even if you’re going somewhere mundane (like work or running errands), if there’s an aesthetically pleasing way to get there that won’t make you late, take it! As simple as it may be, it can put you in a better mood by making you feel like you’re going somewhere special. Romanticize your car ride, soak in the sights, and pretend you’re on vacation!
4- Put a little extra effort into your appearance.
If you love fashion and style like I do, getting dressed everyday can be fun for you! Wear clothes that make you feel good, do your hair/makeup how you like it, wear your favorite fragrance, etc. You don’t have to wait for special occasions to love the way you look. Of course your looks can and should be in line with the dressiness levels of where you’re wearing them. (In other words, there’s no need to wear a ball gown to go grocery shopping (lol)). However, they can still reflect your personal style no matter how casual or dressy they are. Wearing an outfit that you love can have a funny way of making your day a little brighter!
5- Listen to music you love as often as you can.
Hearing a song that makes you want to belt it out with your whole heart is pretty much an automatic mood boost! It can be even more gratifying when the lyrics are empowering or relevant to something you’re currently experiencing. Talk about the soundtrack to the movie of your life! I find that listening to my favorite music in the morning is one of the best energizers for the day ahead. Other good times to do so include your car rides, walks, workouts, etc. Also, listening with headphones or earphones (when it’s safe and otherwise acceptable to do so) can make you feel like you’re at your own little concert!
6- Plate/prepare your food and drinks in an aesthetically pleasing way.
While dining out is absolutely a great way to romanticize your life, giving your dine-in experiences a similar vibe is taking it a step further! Since it’s unlikely that everyday will be a dine-out day, you can still make yourself restaurant-worthy food / drink presentations when dining at home. Some examples include adding garnishes to your meal, making snack or dessert boards, pouring your favorite drink into a fancy glass, etc. These small touches can go a long way!
7- Make various forms of art, whether for decorative or functional purposes (or both).
Creating something without putting pressure on the end result can act as a form of therapy. You don’t need to consider yourself creative or artistic to enjoy some kind(s) of creativity. I personally find pottery and painting to be most therapeutic and calming. It’s also a gratifying feeling to see your artwork displayed in your space and even make good use of it. For instance, a mug that you painted will surely romanticize your experience of drinking out of it! Again, it doesn’t need to be a professional masterpiece; just something that you enjoyed creating!
8- Spruce up your home and work spaces/supplies.
Wherever you spend the majority of your time should feel like a nice place to come home to. You can display your creations (as per #7), light scented candles, adjust the lighting to match your desired ambiance, and put any finishing touches that make the space feel more like you! As for work or school, you likely use some form of supplies, whether it be pens, highlighters, notebooks, folders, binders, a computer, etc. Find ways to make these supplies more enjoyable to use! Some examples include choosing fun-colored pens or pens that write smoothly, creating collages for binder covers, color coding your supplies, etc. Work/school isn’t always exciting, but these little things can make your mundane tasks a tad more colorful!
The bottom line…
A common thread throughout this list is that romanticizing your life can be simple. It starts with a mindset and blossoms into small yet powerful actions. You don’t need to live an extravagant life in order to live a romanticized one (of course you certainly can, but you don’t need to). You just have to fill it with the little details that make the biggest difference for you!