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Romanticizing my life really helped my during lockdown.
It was towards the end of summer of 2020 that I discovered the concept of ‘romanticizing your life’. I had seen it floating around on Tik Tok for a while and kept on thinking ‘huh, I should really start doing that’ but it wasn’t until a few months ago that I decided to start taking it seriously.
And let me tell you, I really don’t think I would’ve made it through this third lockdown without it.
I have always been a dreamer, I’ve always been the one staring out of the window in school when I probably should’ve been paying attention to the actual lesson. I’ve always been the one making up scenarios in my head to help me fall asleep. I’ve always been a bit ‘away with the fairies’.
But during the pandemic, I’ve found it extremely hard mentally. My usually optimistic self really struggled with seeing a way out, Often spiraling into “oh god, this is never going to end, we’re going to be like this forever!”, and pretty much just having negative thoughts about absolutely everything. I felt like everything was out of my control, and I was constantly stressing about things that were out of my hands.
But that was when I realised that there actually were little things that I could control, and in order to keep myself above water, I needed to start focusing on the things that I could control rather than the things I couldn’t. And that is where romanticizing your life comes in.
Romanticizing your life is all about relishing in the little things, really being present in those small, mundane moments and generally going about your life like you are the main character in a movie.
And so I decided to do a little experiment to see if I could improve my mental state by romanticizing my life. And it really worked.
I’m by no means saying that romanticizing your life is going to cure anxiety and depression. But for someone like me, who was just going through a bit of a rough time during the pandemic and was feeling really bored and inspired by the days that seemed to blur into one, it really, really helped.
I started making a list of all of the little things that I like doing in my daily routine, or the things that make me feel a little bit better when I do them, and for me that started with making my bed in the morning.
Instantly I feel better when I have my bed made. I feel like I’ve accomplished at least one little thing, and It means I start my day on the right foot. It’s so small and insignificant, but it really helps!
The next thing to tackle was the act of getting dressed in the morning.
I’m the type of person who, literally, wears their emotions. If I’m having a bit of a bad week, I won’t really get dressed properly. I’ll change out of my pyjamas and into another set of pyjamas. And for me, this makes me less productive and less motivated during the work week as I’m in relaxed mode. (I’m not counting the weekends, weekends are for comfy clothes unless I’m going out!)
So I’ve started getting up 15 minutes earlier so I can really take the time and pick out an outfit and experiment with different outfits.
This may not be as important for some people, but for me who turned out to really love fashion, this is actually one of my favourite parts of the day. I love putting my outfit together and trying out combos that I didn’t think would have worked together before. For someone who has always worked from home and doesn’t really have a ‘getting ready for work’ routine, this has helped me no end. It makes me feel ready for the day and ready to take on the world.
One step in romanticizing my life that has really surprised me in the way that it has helped me is the way I have changed having my morning tea.
Before, I would just be scrolling through social media or looking through doom and gloom news articles. But now, I let myself have a 10 minute scroll in bed, and I stay off my phone when I’m having my breakfast and drinking my tea. Instead, I’ll put the radio on and listen to some old music and just be ‘at one’ with my thoughts or read a book. Pondering how I’m feeling today, what I want to accomplish, what I’m in the mood to do, what I’m looking forward to always helps me. And I try to keep it light and positive. I’m a little bit of a worrier, so I use my morning tea time to push those worries aside for fifteen minutes and just be with myself. I’ve even invested in some lattes that are actually pink and I always drink them out of my favourite mugs. It sounds so silly, but this tiny thing brings so much joy to my morning that it actually makes me want to get up and start my day, which has never happened before.
Romanticizing my life has given me back some control in a time when you feel like absolutely everything is out of your control.
Somehow Romanticizing my life feels defiant. I may not be able to hug my friends or go outside as much, but I can control what candle I’m going to use when I’m working, what perfume I’m going to put on in the morning, what soundtrack is going to be the backdrop of my day, how many breaks I’m going to take to look out the window or cuddle my cats.
Unexpectedly Romanticizing my life has given me a routine that I haven’t had throughout the pandemic, which made me feel powerless and like I didn’t have a purpose.
It’s made me really enjoy those little things that I took for granted before, and I’m in a much better place than I was a few months ago all because I have started romanticizing my everyday routine.
