What does it mean when people say they ‘romanticise life’?
Well, the process of ‘romanticising’ can be described as the act of intentionally finding beauty in the seemingly small, ordinary parts of your day to day life.
From a psychological perspective, romanticisation can be a powerful tool- which can be beneficial for our mental health for many different reasons! Not only does it make us happier, and more appreciative of the small things; but it can also lower stress, help build self-care habits, promote self-compassion and ground us to be more present in our everyday lives.
The nice thing about romanticisation, is that it doesn’t have to be difficult, or big, or expensive. It can be as simple as taking a few extra moments over your morning coffee… or listening to music when you walk to the shops. It can be taking time over your makeup routine, before the rest of the family wakes up. It can even just be appreciating that your feet are tired after a long day of work, and responding with kindness, rather than criticism to yourself for showing up and making it through.
Romanticisation, at its core, works to help us slow down just enough to appreciate the moments in life which might otherwise pass us by- the beautiful ones, that we so often take for granted.
But sometimes… that romanticisation is hard. How can you look at life with love when everything gets on top of you? How can you even begin to make space for the little things when there are too many big ones to deal with? The phrase ‘I’ve got bigger fish to fry’ comes to mind.
When things inevitably become overwhelming, it’s easy for these little things to fall by the wayside as survival takes priority, instead of appreciation. But this is a completely natural, and human response.
It’s also important that romanticisation doesn’t become a form of avoidance. While finding beauty in everyday life can be rewarding, it shouldn’t be used to escape reality or suppress difficult emotions. There are times when the healthiest thing we can do is acknowledge that life feels hard, rather than trying to make it feel beautiful.
Perhaps the real value of romanticising life isn’t pretending that everything is perfect. It’s allowing ourselves to notice moments of beauty alongside life’s challenges. Happiness and struggle can co-exist. Sometimes, simply noticing what brings us back to ourselves (like that warm cup of coffee, for example) can be a vital tool in restoring our mental wellbeing.
Written by Evelyn Last
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