The Romanticizing Movement

Let’s talk about the topic of romanticizing everything.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I really do love social media for certain things. It has the power to connect us, to inspire, to entertain. But it also comes with a cost. One of those costs? The constant romanticizing of every single topic.

We romanticize our daily routines, we romanticize rest, grief, healing, productivity—you name it. You’ve seen the videos. People crying perfectly in slow motion to a piano track. Or making coffee while sunlight pours in just right, captioned with something deep and reflective.

Guys, so much of it is staged.

And while I get the intention behind some of it (trying to relate, to make sense of hard things) it can also be incredibly damaging. Especially when it comes to how we process our own emotions or view our everyday lives.

Here’s the thing: I see social media as its own little reality. So when I open Instagram, I try to mentally switch on my “Instagram mindset,” just to remind myself: this isn’t real life.

Yes, it’s totally okay to enjoy and engage with content. It can be comforting to see others go through similar things, or to feel like we belong to something bigger. But it’s also so important to stay grounded.

Because real life? It’s messy. Sometimes it’s boring. Sometimes it’s hard. And that’s okay.
It’s okay to be bored.
It’s okay to struggle.
It’s okay to suffer.

These experiences are just as real, and just as valid as the polished moments we see online. They don’t need to be filtered or aesthetic to matter. You just have to remember that you are seeing everything through a lens online. And a lot of us have lives where the boring, the slowness…the reality of truly ‘going through life’ is just that. It doesn’t mean it’s a bad thing, or you are missing out on something.

So take what you need from the online world, but always come back to yourself. Real life doesn’t need to be romanticized; it can be enough on its own.