How to Romanticize Your Life and Find Joy in the Everyday Life

"Isn’t it splendid to think of all the things there are to find out about? It just makes me feel glad to be alive—it’s such an interesting world." — Anne Shirley, Anne of Green Gables

If Anne Shirley had a love language, it would be romanticizing life. She saw magic in the mundane, poetry in the wind rustling through the trees, adventure in the simple act of walking home. And if we could all borrow a bit of her perspective, if we could learn to swoon over the ordinary, perhaps happiness would feel a little less fleeting.

How I Learned to Romanticize My Life

It was a random Friday morning and I had just made my first cup of coffee. I sink into the couch, wrapped in the warmth of my living room, the soft hum of the world waking up outside. The golden morning light filtering through my window, casting long, delicate shadows on the floor. There was a stillness in the air, a quiet kind of magic. It was just me, my coffee and the moment stretching before me.

I didn’t always take time for mornings like this. I used to wake up an hour before I had to be somewhere, gulp down my coffee and rush through my routine, earrings in one hand, keys in the other. The days blurred together in a fast-forward haze of to-do lists and obligations. But one day, by accident, I woke up earlier than I needed to. With time to spare, I made my coffee in a cute ceramic cup, sat by the window and just stared. The world outside was still, quiet, untouched by the rush of the day. And for the first time in a long time, I felt calm.

That was the moment I understood how to romanticize your life. It wasn’t about extravagant indulgences; it was about slow living, appreciating the present and creating small, beautiful rituals that made the ordinary feel special.

Romanticizing Life: The Art of Finding Beauty in the Ordinary

A viral Instagram reel sound captures the idea perfectly: "You’ll never regret romanticizing your life. Take the smallest moments and make them into something beautiful."

This way of living, turning simple moments into something meaningful grew in popularity during the pandemic when life became still and people started noticing things again. Inspired by mindfulness and positive psychology, romanticizing life is about making the everyday extraordinary.

It’s lighting a candle in the evening and reading under its glow. It’s buying yourself fresh flowers and placing them by your bedside just because. It’s dressing up, even when there’s no occasion, just for the joy of feeling put together. It’s using the nice plates you’ve been saving for “later” because later is now.

It’s waking up early enough to let the morning unfold slowly, stirring your tea or matcha in a cup that makes you happy. It’s making your bed with care, setting the mood with soft music, updating your mood board with inspiration for the season ahead.

It’s finding joy in the tiniest details, the scent of freshly brewed coffee, the softness of your favorite sweater, the golden hue of the late afternoon winter sun. It’s also in the moments when you’re people watching, observing how others dress and move through the world, finding inspiration in their style and energy, making it a small part of your romanticized day.

Why Romanticizing Your Life is a New Form of Mindfulness

At its core, romanticizing your life is a practice in mindfulness, a way of being present and finding joy in the little things rather than waiting for something “better” to make us happy. We can’t control everything in life, but we can control how we see our world. Instead of longing for a future that hasn’t arrived yet, appreciate the beauty of what’s right in front of you.

Light that candle. Pour your coffee into the cute cup. Play your favorite song while making breakfast. Take a deep breath and let yourself simply be. Dress in colors that lift your mood, because dopamine dressing is real.

Because this—this quiet, imperfect, beautiful moment is your life. And it’s worth romanticizing.