How to Romanticize Your Life – Get the Most From This Year

I am the type of person the will start a year completely motivated to achieve all my goals and aspirations, but then by the middle of January, I am already letting days pass without even noticing they are gone. All of a sudden it is the end of the year again, and the cycle starts over. I don’t want to live like that. So, today I want to talk about how to romanticize your life this year.

We all know how tough the past couple of years has been for everyone. With the constant stress of the pandemic, the changing world, and personal issues, it has been a lot. Humans are not equipped to handle all of this stress. We are tired, sad, and detached from the world we are living in.

I have been experiencing this extra hard this year. I feel like I have been floating through life with no meaning, and I hate it. This year, I have been so unhappy, and I can’t even pinpoint exactly why. I just have been.

So, for this coming year, I am going to change that. I am going to learn to romanticize my life in 2022. I have identified my problem, so there is no reason why I can’t change it.

And I won’t be perfect. There are going to be days that I spend completely unattached to what I am experiencing, just going through the motions to get to the end. But with every one of those days, I want double the amount of days where I feel complete and free. Where I can look back on my day and think, “This is why I love life.”

I am going to stop and smell the roses… if you will!

Today I had a day where I felt like I loved life. It was raining all day, my favorite weather. So instead of worrying about cleaning the house or working on job applications, I set all my responsibilities aside, watched some movies, and played animal crossing while my dog cuddled up next to me. I was completely content with life.

I realized, that if I can feel this way now, why can’t I feel this way as much as possible? Even when working, it is possible for me to look at the things I love, like the iced coffee I am drinking or my favorite pen that I am using, and run with it. Focus on the good, and learn how to romanticize my life!

So, if you are in the same boat as I am, and you want to learn how to romanticize your life as well, let’s start this journey together!

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What Does it Mean to Romanticize Your Life?

Maybe you have heard this phrase floating around the internet, or maybe this is your first introduction, but you might be curious, what is the actual meaning of “romanticize your life?”

Romanticizing your life means taking the simple, mundane aspects of your life, and finding joy in them. It means taking something you do every day and turning it into an event. Romanticizing your life means a complete shift in your thought processes, turning your life into something exciting and magical.

For me, romanticizing my life is pretending I am the main character from a wholesome movie where I dance in the rain and write in coffee shops sipping a latté with beautiful foam art. When I wake up and make my morning iced coffee, I put it in a cute glass with a metal straw, and take 15 minutes to sit by the window and watch the world wake up while I drink it because the world is beautiful.

What it means to romanticize your life is completely personal, but it is surrounded by the idea of finding joy, and I love that. For a time that has brought a lot of uncertainty and confusion, I think finding happiness in anything is beautiful. It is also incredibly important for mental health. It will in no way cure depression or anxiety. But if finding ways to romanticize your life gives you even a couple of seconds of joy, why not?

One of my favorite quotes about this is from Ralph Waldo Emerson, and it reads…

Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year. He is rich who owns the day, and no one owns the day who allows it to be invaded with fret and anxiety.

This quote describes exactly how I feel about the idea of romanticizing your life. (Although I would change “he is” with “they are,” but anyway…) By looking at every day with excitement and joy, we can take back control of our life.

Basically, I am done letting anxiety ruin my day. I will feel my emotions, understand where they are coming from. But then I will find something to be happy about and run with that. Because I no longer want to let anxiety run my life.

If you want to read more about romanticizing your life, check out this article from Sofia Lyon.

Why Should You Romanticize your Life?

During the pandemic, a lot of life became very mundane. Sitting at home, working from the computer, and only seeing a few select people. It is easy to let this stuff pass by without giving it a second thought. However, by taking a second to romanticize your life, you might find that life becomes a little more joyful.

Check out this article from Thrive, full of small ways you can romanticize your life every single day!

But what is the point of all this? Why should you want to romanticize your life? There are so many reasons, but the most important is your well-being.

Do you want to look back in 10, 15, or 20 years and think, “I wasted so many years of my life,” or do you want something more? Because depending on your belief system, we only get one life to live on this floating ball of rock in space, so you might as well make the most of it.

Of course, this is all my own opinion. If you are to truly romanticize this coming year, you need to find reasons of your own. The more personal your journey is, the more motivated you will be to work every day towards the goal of a happy and joyful year.

Ways to Romanticize Your Life this Year

Now that you know the meaning of the phrase, “romanticize your life,” and the reason why you would want to start this journey, let’s look into how you actually do that. It is quite simple, but it does take focus and determination to work for it every day.

This list is full of ways I like to stop, breathe, and romanticize my life. But there are an infinite number of ways to do this, and they will differ based on who you are as a person and what makes you happy.

1. Dance Alone in Your Room to Your Favorite Song

You might feel silly the first time you do this, but dancing to your favorite song alone in your bedroom is one of the best ways to start romanticizing your life.

And it is so easy. Close your door, put on an upbeat song that makes you happy, and let loose! You can even turn off the lights if you want to. It doesn’t matter how you look, it is all about letting loose and moving your body. In fact, the stranger you feel the better. As long as it puts a smile on your face, you are doing it right!

And it does become easier the more you do it. You might feel awkward at first, but once you lose those limits that society puts on how you can move your body, it will become way more fun!

Just imagine yourself in the opening montage of a rom-com movie. Dancing around your room while you get ready for the day. Maybe even make this a part of your daily routine!

2. Take Yourself on a Date Night

When you go on dates with your partner, you are supposed to be made to feel special. Like you are the only person in the world that your partner wants to be with at that moment. That is a really good feeling, or so I hear. I have never actually been on a date.

But I have taken myself on plenty of dates, and I love making myself feel special. Here are a couple of things to do when taking yourself on a date:

• Dress up in fancy clothes
• Go to your favorite restaurant
• Do something you love doing (See a movie, visit a museum, etc.)

Make the date very special, and go all in. Treat yourself like you want to be treated. At the end of the day, you are the only person you can trust to treat yourself right.

3. Go to a Café, Order a Fancy Coffee, and Read a Good Book

I stole this idea straight out of movies. But if you are sitting at home, in the middle of the day, with nothing to do, instead of spending hours scrolling through Tik Tok, go to a café instead.

Once there, you can order a fancy latté and read a book. Or if you have some work, do that. You can still be productive while you are learning how to romanticize your life.

Just make sure to randomly look into the distance and sigh. That way it will really be like you are right out of a movie. Maybe you will meet the love of your life there too, in a meet-cute type of situation.

4. Take a Walk and Enjoy the Beauty of Your Neighborhood

I have hope that it is possible to find beauty in every place you go, even when it is the most mundane area, like the neighborhood you grew up in.

Often times when I take a walk, I have my dog with me, and I am moving quickly to get some exercise and tire out my dog. However, when I am trying to find the simple joys, I go out alone, with no friends or pets, and I just stroll. I take my earbuds out, lift my eyes up to look around me, and take in the sights and smells of the world around me.

It makes my walks a lot slower, but it helps me realize that there is beauty in the streets that I drive every day.

5. Buy Yourself Flowers and Chocolate

If you have already taken yourself on a date, the next step would be to buy yourself flowers and chocolates! I am a huge advocate of treating yourself. So buy yourself something that will put a smile on your face, you don’t have to wait for someone else to do it.

Flowers are also a great way to add some color and brightness to your living space. They add life to the room, and the smell boosts your mood. It boosts my mood at least!

And chocolates are just tasty.

6. Burn Your Favorite Candle Whenever You Want

Maybe it is just me, but I used to think I needed a special occasion to burn my scented candles. I would wait until I was watching a movie, enjoying a good meal, or reading a good book.

But there is no bad time to burn a candle and enjoy a scent that makes you happy. Now, I burn candles whenever I want. While I am working, while I am cleaning, and any other time I need some aromatherapy.

7. Cook Yourself a Homemade Meal and Use the Fancy Dinnerware to Eat it

There is nothing more comforting than a home-cooked meal. It brings thoughts of nostalgia and happiness to even the most mundane of evenings. This makes it the perfect idea for romanticizing your life.

Spend some time in the kitchen preparing a homemade meal that will make you happy. Then eat it from your fancy dinnerware. The stuff that you only take out for guests. Why should other people enjoy your fine china more than you get to? It will add a little excitement and make your meal that much more special.

8. Overdecorate your Living Space for Every Holiday

I am even including those minor holidays like St. Patrick Day in this idea. Or the holidays that you might not think apply to you like Valentine’s Day. I want you to go all out, covering your home in hearts, streamers, and everything pink.

One thing that never fails to make me happy is a warm and inviting home. I go all out for Christmas, and it always feels cold and sad once I take those decorations down.

So I don’t see why I can’t make every holiday just as special. I want to go all out this year for any holiday that makes me happy. Because finding joy in even the small holidays is good for me.

9. Buy Yourself Gifts for All the Holidays

As you can see, I am a fan of treating myself, and that translates into this plan for how to romanticize your life. What can I say, my love language is receiving gifts, and if others aren’t going to treat me on all the holidays (understandable), I am going to do it myself.

And because I am going to focus on celebrating every holiday that makes me happy, that is going to include treating myself to a present.

My mom has a philosophy that everyone should buy themself a winter gift every year. I did it for the first time last year and I have never looked back. I am just increasing this by tenfold this year, by including all the holidays. Nothing wrong with treating yourself, no matter how big or small the gift is.

10. Run Around in the Rain and Splash in Puddles

If you live somewhere where rain is rare, you better seize that moment and go run around in the rain and splash in some puddles when it does come. Put on some rain boots, or some shoes you don’t care if they get muddy, and connect with that inner child sitting within you by dancing in the rain.

It doesn’t matter if people are looking at you weirdly, because this is for you and you alone. Either they are too boring to enjoy the weather, or they are secretly wishing they were you. Either way, if you are enjoying yourself, that’s all that matters.

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This is my ultimate goal for the coming new year. I want to find the small joys in everything I do. I want to take time for myself and enjoy what life has to offer. Because despite all the hard things in life, there are sources of happiness in this world, you just have to look for them.

It is important to remember, that romanticizing your life is a journey. You won’t wake up one day, decide to find joy in the little things, and then the work is done. This is something you will have to remind yourself of multiple times a day. However, it can be done!

All you have to do is stop while you are living your life, take a moment, and remember what your goal is. Remember the beauty of the sky and the serenity of your morning routine. If you continue to force yourself to find these things exciting and wonderful, one day they just might be.

Leave tips on how you plan to romanticize your life in the comments below! I am always looking for new ways to put a smile on my own face. I know we could all use a little more serotonin in our lives.