I know I know… I’ve crossed over into Gen Z territory.
But hear me out.
Yes, “romanticize your life” is a buzzword and has been hijacked by 20-something influencers all over Instagram, but I genuinely think they’re on to something.
I’m not one for fads or trends (just pure honesty), and I ignored romanticisation for a long time as being too woo-woo, too aesthetic, and too much of a vibe for people who clearly don’t have “real” problems.
But the more burnt out I felt, the more I realised that the way I was moving through life wasn’t working. I was rushing through everything, treating every day like a chore, and wondering why nothing felt enjoyable anymore.
So, what if I just slowed down and started to consciously engage with my life and be present instead of just existing in it?
Romanticizing your life means finding small moments of joy in the mundane parts of everyday life. Sure, it sounds simple enough, but when we’re burnt out, we forget that life can actually feel good. We’re so focused on the bigger picture (aka our career, money, relationship status, life milestones, etc.) that we miss all the good things happening right in front of us.
I wouldn’t exactly call myself a romantic, so starting to romanticize the parts of my life that I’d normally overlook didn’t come naturally.
It was more of a process — a mindset shift, a skill to learn, a daily habit to build.
Let’s break it down step by step.
P.S. If you’re new here, hey! I’m Thalia. I help burnt-out girlies in their 30s unf*ck their life through 1:1 coaching and self-paced tools. Every week(ish), I share content on burnout recovery, self-development, finding joy, and career growth. Subscribe here so you never miss a debrief.
How romanticizing your life helps with burnout
Burnout can make you feel like a zombie.
You wake up, go to work, come home, scroll, sleep, repeat. There’s no joy in any of it, and you feel completely numb to everything happening around you.
Your spark is officially gone (depressing, I know), and your daily routine just feels monotonous and dull.
Romanticizing your life is one of the simplest ways to start reversing that.
When you deliberately look for things to appreciate (even small, ordinary things like the way you take your coffee), you’re training your mind to be present again and get excited about things you used to love.
Since I started romanticising my life, aka finding joy (I much prefer this term), I now:
- No longer dread getting out of bed
- Look forward to my day, even when I have no idea how it’s going to go
- Always find a silver lining (no matter how shit the week has been)
- Take life a lot less seriously and actually allow myself to enjoy it
- Feel a heck of a lot less anxious
- Actually show up for my own life instead of just watching it go by
I just want to be clear though, romanticising your life isn’t about looking at life through rose-tinted glasses or pretending everything is fine.
It’s not a replacement for rest, boundaries, or actually dealing with the things that burnt you out in the first place. It’s just one small, accessible tool that you can use right now, without needing to feel better first.
Romanticising your life isn’t about pretending everything is fine. It’s about deciding that your ordinary, imperfect, everyday life is actually worth showing up for.
Notes by Thalia
How to romanticize your life (even if you’re burnt out)
I promise the steps below are simple enough to start today, even if you have zero energy right now.
Don’t feel like you have to do all five at once. Yes, they’re designed to build on each other, but if you’re deep in burnout, starting with just the first step and focusing on that is more than enough.
There’s no right or wrong way to use this framework — just your way.
Take what you need and save the rest for later by bookmarking this post so you can come back to it whenever you need to.
1 | Shift your perspective
Everything starts here.
When you’re burnt out, your mind is basically wired to spot everything that’s going wrong in your life. It’s not your fault — it’s just what burnout does. But after a while, that becomes your default setting, and you stop being able focus on the positives.
The good news is you don’t need to overhaul your life or rebrand to change this. You just need to start small.
Gratitude is the most practical way in. And before you roll your eyes, I’m not talking about writing “I’m grateful for my health” in a £40 journal while sipping matcha.
I mean noticing the small, specific things from your day that were actually fine, like the smell of coffee in the morning, your colleague who made you laugh, or the five minutes of sunshine you caught at lunch.
That’s it.
2 | Start with what you’re already doing
This is the part people miss.
Romanticising your life isn’t about adding more to your already overwhelming plate. It’s about taking what you already do and making it feel 1% better.
Let me put it this way — your commute, the supermarket run, making dinner, and washing up are going to happen whether you like it or not, so instead of just getting through them, what if you actually made them enjoyable?
Maybe that’s putting on a playlist and dancing around the kitchen while you cook, listening to an audiobook on your way to work, or eating your lunch outside rather than at your desk.
There’s no right or wrong way to do this.
The goal is to simply make your existing life feel a little more intentional, a little more like something you’re choosing rather than something that’s just happening to you.
3 | Show up for yourself
When I’m flat-out exhausted, the first thing I start to neglect is my appearance.
I still do the absolute basics, like brushing my teeth (let’s give me some credit), but everything else starts to slip. My hair doesn’t get washed, shaving gets forgotten about, I rotate the same sweatpants on repeat, and suddenly it’s 6 pm, and I haven’t stepped outside once.
Burnout has a way of convincing you that you don’t deserve nice things unless you’ve been productive first. It’s like you need to earn feeling good.
I’ve genuinely caught myself thinking, “I can’t justify getting a massage when I haven’t done enough today,” as if rest is some kind of reward. (Where are all my overachievers at?!)
The truth is, showing up for yourself isn’t about grand gestures or dropping $100 on a new skincare routine. It’s about small acts of self-care that signal to your mind: I matter too.
4 | Notice the small moments
I hate to break it to you, but you’re not just burnt out because of your job.
You’re burnt out in every aspect of life to the point where your mind can’t even switch off anymore.
Even when you’re supposed to be resting, you’re scrolling on Instagram, consuming more hacks, more books to read, more recipes, more highlight reels, more places to visit, literally just more.
It’s overstimulation at its finest, and your monkey mind is making you restless.
You’re brushing your teeth while thinking about work. You’re at yoga but mentally drafting emails. You finish one task and immediately jump to the next without even registering what you just did.
You’re technically living, but you’re not actually experiencing any of it because you’re too busy in your own head thinking about what’s next, what’s missing, and what’s yet to be done.
Noticing the small moments is how you bring yourself back to the present.
5 | Find meaning in the mundane
Life isn’t made up of big, defining moments.
It’s mostly about doing the same things over and over again, like running errands, replying to emails, catching up on admin, doing the laundry, and adulting.
When you’re burnt out, these things feel especially pointless because you’re already exhausted and wondering what the bigger picture even is. Everything starts to feel like a chore.
But romanticising your life means stepping away from the constant thought of “I’ll feel better when…”
Because if you place all your happiness on future milestones, you end up treating your current life like you’re in limbo.
Finding meaning in the mundane is about deciding that your life isn’t on hold just because it doesn’t look exciting right now. It’s choosing to care about the small routines that make up your day instead of dismissing them as things to get through.
This is how you start to feel like you have a life again, even before anything externally changes.
Romanticising your life isn’t a replacement for rest, boundaries, or dealing with what’s burning you out. It’s just one small, accessible tool that you can use right now.
Notes by Thalia
51 ways to romanticize your life
Like I said earlier, romanticising your life isn’t about reinventing yourself or suddenly becoming the kind of person who wakes up at 5 am to journal while sipping matcha.
It’s about choosing a couple of small things that make your day feel calmer, more aligned, and more grounded.
If you’ve read the above framework, but still feel stuck, then I recommend picking 2–3 ideas that feel doable from the list below and starting there.
You’ve got this.
- Buy yourself flowers for no reason
- Listen to a guided activation and be in the moment
- Make your bed every morning
- Light a candle while you work
- Bake bread
- Head to the local park and feed the ducks
- Watch Amélie — it’s basically the film version of this entire blog post
- Go for a long, weekly walk in nature
- Take the scenic route home
- Write down what you’re looking forward to this week
- Think of one thing you’re proud of and savour it
- Keep a joy jar
- Practice gratitude
- Reflect on your biggest lesson from the past month
- Plan a small act of kindness you’ll do today
- Think of a tradition you’d like to start
- Reflect on a turning point in your life and how it shaped you
- Eat lunch away from your desk
- Make a playlist for every mood
- Wear something that makes you feel sexy
- Try a new coffee order
- Treat yourself to a pamper day (I promise it will make you feel loads better)
- Walk somewhere you’d normally drive
- Watch the sunrise or sunset this week
- Take yourself on a solo date
- Cook a new recipe you’ve been saving
- Write a letter to a friend instead of texting
- Watch the rain from a window with a hot drink
- Open the windows first thing in the morning
- Put fresh sheets on your bed midweek
- Take photos of ordinary days, not just big events
- Listen to music while getting ready instead of rushing in silence
- Visit a local market just to wander
- Read for 10 minutes before bed instead of scrolling
- Go phone-free for an hour in the morning
- Leave your phone in your bag when in public
- Rearrange a small corner of your home
- Wear perfume even if you’re not going anywhere
- Take a different walking route and notice what’s there
- Journal in a café for an hour
- Send someone a voice note instead of a text
- Stretch in the morning before looking at your phone
- Make a simple meal feel special by plating it like a Michelin-star chef
- Watch a film without multitasking
- Bring a book with you and read while waiting for something
- Spend time in nature
- Build a weekly ritual
- Try out a new hobby
- Listen to an audiobook you’ve been meaning to start
- Celebrate your small wins
- Notice the seasons changing and adjust your routines with them
- Go somewhere alone and enjoy your own company
- Collect your favourite quotes and reflect on them
- Always look up
Final thoughts
I used to think the answer to burnout was to change my entire life.
New country. New routine. New career. A clean slate.
And yes, some of those things did help, but the part that no one told me is that you still have to live with yourself on a random Tuesday afternoon.
You don’t suddenly become the main character in a movie because you made one big life change. You still have to run errands, do chores, catch up on admin, and adult.
There’s no escape from that stuff.
Despite what influencers will have you believe, life really isn’t made up of epic moments. It’s mostly about doing the same things over and over again.
If you can’t find some kind of joy in the mundane, you’ll just keep waiting for the next big thing to make you feel better.
So, maybe the answer isn’t chasing the next job, or the next promotion, or the next adventure. Maybe it’s slowing down and learning to fall in love with the boring bits.
Until next week,
Thalia xx
