Fade in to a colourful room that is artfully messy in the way all of the best heroines' rooms are (the room isn’t unclean – it just shows signs of a life well lived). There are shots of her girl clutter, trinkets, pictures, and you can hear either “Perfect Day” by Hoku or “Suddenly I See” by KT Tunstall playing in the background. And then, we cut to you (yes, you!) because I cannot think of a single reason why we should not be the main characters, romanticising our day to day lives.

Romanticisation is an art form, and for some (me) it’s an essential part of living. Ever since I made the choice to live out my everyday life as if I am in a movie, my mental health has improved tenfold and I have greatly lessened my depression.

I first started making the conscious transition to a more romanticised life during the 2020 lockdowns – a time when I needed to make the mundanity of day-to-day life more fun. I started reframing the act of going on a walk to ‘getting a hot chocolate, walking around a park and sitting and looking at the flowers while listening to an Emily Henry audiobook’. Or I’d pick up fresh flowers while on a grocery shop because it felt like something a character from a Nora Ephron movie would do. The small act of reframing your daily tasks from ones of necessity to something that can be enjoyed has been immensely beneficial to me.

And while I am all for living romantically, I am not in the business of toxic positivity – I am aware that this sort of outlook can be misconstrued as such. But I for one believe that romanticising, at its core, is a coping mechanism to make a shitty world seem a little brighter; it borrows from the philosophy of sunny nihilism. For people who choose to romanticise their lives, there is a kind of awareness of the complete and utter deplorability in the world – they know deep down how dark and terrible it is, but instead of letting that knowledge drown them in sorrow, they try to make the most of their time on our shitty and weird plane of existence.

Toxic positivity ignores and suppresses negative emotions, which are a completely natural and unavoidable part of living. Romanticising these moments, on the other hand, takes a sad situation (like spiralling after seeing an ex-friend in public) and turns these moments into just another scene in the movie of your life that’s soundtracked to perfection with “Subway” by Chappell Roan playing melodiously in the background.

So, what does it mean to romanticise your life and how can you do it too?

Bestie I am so glad you asked!

Living romantically does not need to be romantic – you do not need to be in love, or a person who craves romantic love, in order to romanticise your life. Amusement and wistfulness are key parts of romanticisation as you are trying to do things that entertain you and bring you joy. In a weird way, romanticisation is all about understanding and acknowledging the overwhelming darkness of life, choosing joy, and highlighting the everyday beauty of existence.

My best suggestions for living a romantic life:

1. Listen to the soundtrack from a movie that suits your vibe, for example:
- Getting ready for a party: LOL
- Getting dressed: The Devil Wears Prada
- Going on a road-trip (or long drive with bad traffic): Thelma and Louise
- Walking through the city: You’ve Got Mail
- Heading to a summer barbeque: The Parent Trap

2. Get a cute matching pyjama set. This automatically makes me feel so much happier, and may I suggest looking at Damson Madder’s new pyjama range because it is to die for.

3. Have friends over for a board game night. It is so nice to be offline with your friends.

4. Bake a cake!

5. Indulge in more bubble baths.

6. Pretend you are Serena Van Der Woodsen on a train to Grand Central Station by listening to “Young Folks” by Peter Bjorn and John on your daily public transport commute to work.

7. Romanticise breakfast! It is the most important meal of the day after all, so stop with the granola and coffee and say hello to waffles and hot chocolates.

8. Tend to a garden.

9. Go to your local library more often.

10. Write a friend a letter telling them how much you appreciate them.

11. Finally, live your life like you are in a montage.