The art of living well: How to romanticize your life

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        Sure it is difficult to stay positive on a daily basis. How are some people eternally happy when everything is so mundane, right? My parents always joke about being whiny and complaining all the time. Also, there is a house joke about the difference in demeanor between elementary, middle, and high schoolers. We had an amazing opportunity to view these differences through our home. Our street overlooked a common school bus stop. So my parents used to observe that there was silence when high schoolers arrived (including me). Deep silence. Just the sound of the bus. My parents were puzzled as to why the high schoolers walked as if they were the sole people responsible for the burden of this great world. Our backs were bent and our eyes were glued to the phone screens. There were many people who got down at my street stop, but I knew only two of them. Tragedy indeed. No interpersonal connection. Just walking with a lot of stress and the burden of the backpack. Those were the high schoolers. Then came the middle schoolers, they talked a lot. When I came home from school and was at my desk doing homework, I could hear these noisy middle schoolers. I used to fret and as a daily habit, I turned my music volume high up just to not hear the noisy middle schoolers. My parents used to compare high schoolers to middle schoolers and always encouraged me not to complain and to be like my younger self, who was peppier. And last but not the least, the elementary schoolers. They are a different breed altogether. They used to play when they came home from school constantly. Be it winter, they used to throw snow at each other. When it was spring, they used to play catch. Everybody knew when the elementary or middle schoolers arrived home due to the increased noise level. But no one really got to know when high schoolers came home attributing to the pin-drop silence. So what changed in all those years? Have the high schoolers lost all the fun? Do they just think fun is synonymous with “parties” and daily life is monotonous? 

I thought this situation might change when I head to college. But that burden got heavier and I feel that I am more complaining than being happy. Have young adults or adults even lost the thrill we feel as young kids? Has life become so boring and mundane that there is no sense of awe or excitement? Now think about when was the last time you felt happy, like genuinely happy? Is your daily routine consist of any happy moments? In this last segment of “art of living well” I am going to suggest a few tips on how to romanticize your life to get away from the constant complaining stage. Because it won’t help you, it will just add more frustration to your life. 

Finding some fun while doing one “ordinary” chore is a good way to be happier. I always listen to music while I fold laundry to avoid the frustration that comes along while doing the most annoying chore (at least to me). I also light a candle warmer while studying late at night (guilty of falling into trap of candle warmer sellers). Because studying late at night needs an extra ounce of motivation. The warm cinnamon and apple scent provides me with just that. Now all these are external factors that you can control to romanticize your life. But it is a thought process shift that will work the magic. Instead of fretting about doing something, find a positive thing that might happen when you do something that brings annoyance. Because it is probably an unavoidable task that you have to do. So why fret about something inevitable? Now that is something that I am still learning. Yes, I have to read that one more chapter before I get to end my day, yes I have to fold my laundry. So how can I add some fun elements to it, to avoid complaining? It is a huge change in the thinking process, but as they say, practice makes a man perfect. 

I will come back to the story I presented you with in the beginning. What is the big difference between elementary school students and high school students? The attitude. A high school is a place where constant stress is poured into the minds of teenagers. Be it in the form of sports, SATs, GPA, or college admissions. There is no sense of relief. And in college, the stress worsens in the form of grades, money management, jobs, and job interview. Now I shouldn’t venture into the stresses of adult life. Because there are a ton. We have forgotten to live, truly. Why cannot we just remember the carefree younger versions of ourselves? Maybe the stress has brought us down, but maybe it won’t be too bad to just be young and do something stupid. Like just dancing by yourself when it gets too stressful or singing loudly while you shower. Or just binge-watching a favorite show. It can do some good, trust me. 

With that, I take your leave. I hope you liked the “art of living well” blog series and it inspired you to take action and truly live your life in the better possible way. 

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