Romanticizing Your Life:
A concept made popular by social media.
Social media…we all have opinions about it.
Like almost anything, there is good and bad. Too much of any good thing can, of course, become obsessive and harmful. Like any resource, you can use it to benefit you, or you can let it suck you down the rabbit hole.
Am I guilty of doom scrolling?
Absolutely.
However , I’ve chosen to look at social media as a valuable resource when used intentionally, and tailored to your interests, especially when created by knowledgeable creators you believe share similar values and goals.
First there was Facebook, which eventually became more of a family affair and then somehow included the entire world and every acquaintance we have ever met! Then came Instagram for me during COVID, along with TikTok. Each of these seem to get a slightly different version of me- each one more raw, less filtered and more daringly myself than the last.
And honestly? They have become tremendous outlet of self-expression for me, right alongside this blog, which I also started during the pandemic.
Little me used to love to role play.I fantasized about being a beautiful gown boss lady. Imagine that!?
I also revel in the magic of music (although I can barely carry a tune to my utter dismay) and art of dance. I have always prided myself on having a decent sense of humor. Never fully taking myself too seriously for too long. And sometimes I just like seeing myself in the background of my favorite music. Don’t judge.
A little vain?
Perhaps.
Self-promotion?
Can’t argue.
Wannabe influencer status?
Hardly.
And lastly, harmful?
Unlikely.
I think if you stay realistic and humble, you should be allowed to express the different parts of yourself. Particularly the parts you don’t always get to express in everyday life.
Being a physician and educator requires one side of me.
Being a mom requires another.
But there is so much more depth and creativity in all of us. So much we have to say.
Social media has played a positive role in my fitness and health journey over the last few years. The “glow-up,” if you will. This where I have accumulated insane number of recipes, workouts and beauty hacks. Heck, I have even shared a few myself!
But one of my absolute favorite lessons I’ve taken from social media is this concept of romanticizing your life.
The funny thing is, I am certain I’ve been doing this exact thing inherently since I was much younger.Before it was “trending”.
I’ve always kind of pretended my life was a movie. Not in the delusional sense. More like stepping outside of myself for a moment and realizing, this is my life. This moment, right here.
Sitting somewhere and consciously soaking in the beauty of a particular moment : special or completely mundane, in its entirety.
Because maybe that is really what romanticizing your life means.
Living your life with joy and intention.
Knowing that the gift of time along with our health are the most valuable things we have. Can’t be bought. Can’t be saved for later. And once a moment is gone, you will never live that exact moment again.
Maybe romanticizing your life is really just another way of saying:
Be here. Be present.
Notice the breeze.
Notice the sky.
Watching the faces of your kids when they experience a new destination.
Watching your parents doing something completely ordinary.
Capturing your kids riding their bikes on a summer evening and the echos of their footsteps on your floors.
Stay up too late laughing with your siblings in adulthood , when you have an early morning flight to catch!
Sitting poolside with your besties with a glass of Aperol.
Savoring that first bite of food while desperately trying not to burn the roof of your mouth because you were not patient enough to wait!
Letting the kiss linger for just a few seconds longer. Holding the glance. Staying in bed a few minutes longer.
Relishing that car ride home from work or drive to the gym with the top down knowing you have an entire hour to yourself to move your body while your favorite songs blast through the speakers.
Notice your cats purring and your dog’s excitement when you come home, follow you around the house, and somehow all end up on your bed waiting for you to join them every night while you drag yourself through your 8 step beauty routine!
These are the scenes.
Romanticizing your life also means taking ownership of it. YOU are the main character in this beautiful movie of yours. Surely not because everything revolves around you, but because this is the one life you actually get to live and curate parts of it of you are fortunate enough.
You don’t have to wait for the vacation, the relationship, the milestone, the perfect body or some future version of yourself before you decide your life is worth enjoying.
Take the flight just for the weekend. Dine alone. Call the friend. Wear the outfit you’ve been saving. Buy yourself flowers. Take yourself to the beach to watch the sunset.
Take the selfies and the videos ( you know I love to). You and your loved ones will never be exactly the same as they are right in this moment in time.
Bake the cookies with your kids and have a darn bake-off! Turn an ordinary Tuesday evening into something you will treasure.
Every good movie has ups and downs. Tear jerking moments and utter ridiculous comedy ( of errors at times) and oh boy, the irony! Absolute chaos and absolute boredom. Plot twists. Grief. Isn’t that the achingly beautiful, breathtaking, poignant essence of life?
Romanticizing means living in gratitude.
Because God only knows, life is short.
And unpredictable.
And maybe part of romanticizing your life is also learning not to assign permanence to every single situation or every single person.
Some moments are fleeting.
And maybe that is okay.
Not everyone who enters your story is meant to stay until the ending. Some people are there for a season. Some for a chapter. Some seemingly for one crazy, beautiful page!
It doesn’t mean it wasn’t real or meaningful.And it certainly doesn’t mean you cannot cherish the good that came from it.
Maybe the point isn’t to hold onto every beautiful thing.
Maybe it’s simply to notice it while it’s here.
To experience it fully.
Romanticize your life.
It means you noticed.
That you lived it.
Or YOLO… if you will :)