As society begins to develop nowadays, life seems to get more rushed and rushed everyday. Do you ever get the feeling that there is always something that you want to do, but in the end the day’s too short, you’re too tired, or you don’t have enough time? Or that after you finish all the work you have to do, all the time left is just spent lying on your bed and scrolling through social media? We have to admit that our fast-paced lifestyles are affecting our lives every day. And with social media and AI, it is getting harder and harder for us to slow down. But here is a trick to evenly pace your life and why it might actually make you happier! 

Maybe the word “romanticize” is not very familiar to you. So first of all, what does ‘to romanticize your life’ mean? Romanticizing life is about slowing down, being present and creating small joys and beauty in ordinary things. To turn your life into a more positive and meaningful experience through attention, beauty and intentionally adding small rituals in your everyday life. It is about making every day special, even if nothing important is happening. 

I have been living in Germany for a little over two years now, and from my personal experience, romanticizing my life has helped my sense of happiness. I am from Shanghai, China, where it is always comfortably warm, and I am used to having excellent weather every day I wake up. In Germany, especially when I live near the Taunus, I am close to nature, and I am delighted to be able to breathe in healthy and unpolluted air everyday. But sometimes, I still feel depressed during winter when it always rains and the sky is always covered with grey clouds. And sometimes, romanticizing my life has made me feel more cheerful. And it can be something very small, like buying myself a bunch of colourful flowers (this always works), lighting a scented candle, or making myself a cup of sweet tea while watching the rain. It is usual and habitual to just wake up in the morning and scramble through the schedule of today. For example on weekends, I am used to waking up late and spending the whole day at my desk to do my work, then scrolling through social media, then eating something, and the cycle repeats until the day ends. However, I often feel exhausted at the end of the day, and I feel like I did not have a healthy day. In the end, these days just fee repetitive. 

But what if we slow down a bit? Rather than going through all the motions, why don’t we infuse a little more intentionality into everyday life? To romanticize life means to be present and mindful of every moment, to look at every ordinary object in life as something beautiful, positive and meaningful. It is about slowing down and appreciating each moment. Inside of stacking habits and tasks, looking forward to everything you have to do, try paring it back and just enjoy the moment. 

Furthermore, how does romanticizing your life make you happier? Neuroscience shows that where we place our attention shapes our reality, thanks to neuroplasticity! Focusing on simple, meaningful moments rewires the brain to find more positivity. And by focusing on the here-and-now, simple rituals help us to slow down, regulate our nervous system and return to ourselves. In safety, we find self-trust and resilience. Even during hard times, looking at everything in a romanticized lens encourages us to look at ordinary things with beauty, which can improve mental wellbeing by fostering gratitude, reducing stress, and increasing joy. Dopamine also plays a key role. When you do small rituals like lighting a candle before journaling or listening to music, it all adds novelty and anticipation, triggering dopamine to boost your mood and create motivation. But of course, there is also a line between romanticizing your life and toxic positivity. Romanticizing yourself is healthy, when it’s grounded in gratitude, not delusion. Romanticizing yourself can become unhealthy when it leads to unrealistic expectations, escapism and the denial of negative emotions. The key is to find balance by appreciating small, positive moments without suppressing your emotions. 

So how can you romanticize your life? Some people might think they don’t have time to appreciate everything in their life, like lighting a candle before they do their homework. Well, romanticizing your life doesn’t mean you have to make everything perfect, and it doesn’t require buying new things or changing your whole routine. You can just do something small that you like. For example, some little things I recommend to do to boost happiness and make the day more special are:

• Listening to music that I  like while doing homework to help me  focus
• Preparing a lovely outfit for tomorrow so I  feel happy and pretty
• Walking to school and noticing the morning sunlight
• Drinking tea while watching the rain – instead of being bored
• Writing in a journal – or anything
• Reading a book and making myself a cup of hot chocolate
• Buying flowers
• Going out to dine
• Decorating my r room
• Making breakfast/lunch/dinner that looks nice on a plate

Feel free to add anything to this list in the comments!

Right now I am writing this article while listening to Marilyn Monroe’s greatest hits, and I have discovered lots of new beautiful songs while jotting down this piece of work for you! Please remember, to romanticize your life means to inject more mindfulness, presentness and intentionality into it. It’s a simple way to look around and be grateful, to find pleasure in ordinary things and to experience a lens of gratitude that reminds you that you get to live another day of your life, so let it be lovely!