I’m far from the first to notice, but can’t life get stressful and banal at times? It’s so easy to lose motivation for what you once loved, as if you’re ‘going through the motions’ instead of living. It’s sad when you think about it, what with all the amazing things we’ve come up with to ‘make life easier’, like the Internet, which ultimately leave us drained; with them come unlimited access to content, i.e. distractions from what’s in front of us.
I don’t remember when or where exactly, but I came across a concept called ‘adding whimsy to your life’. While similar to the romanticisation I’ve mentioned here before, I interpret ‘adding whimsy’ as really focusing on how to make your life fun, carefree, and whacky, as it may have felt when we were little. It remedies the burnout that often accompanies a busy life by reigniting love for life’s small pleasures. I had plenty of fun looking for ideas to implement this, which alerted me to the facts that A. I unintentionally do a lot of ‘whimsical’ things already, but B. there’s a whole world of whimsy that I’ll be adding.
So, I’m giving you a list of ideas to do exactly that: adding more whimsy to your life. They’re all tried and tested by yours truly, minus the last one, which is certainly on the agenda.
Adding colour to my outfits and makeup
This is a matter of personal taste because some people prefer minimalism, but I’m a sucker for a funky ‘fit. There’s a concept called ‘dopamine dressing’ which essentially states that adding colour to your outfits can boost your mood, which is my objective. I find I feel more optimistic and confident when I’m wearing a cool outfit I really like. Some people are afraid of truly expressing themselves with their clothing, which is understandable, but I’ve found that people will have something to say no matter what, so I do what I want anyway. I have received some remarks like “why are you wearing pyjamas?”, but frankly and concisely, I don’t care — it makes my life more whimsical!
Singing and dancing
I’m not a good singer or dancer by any stretch, but it’s been proven that both of these things boost our mood. This means that I’ll sometimes have a dance session in my room, or scream my heart out whilst driving. Sometimes I do it because I’m in a good mood, but other times it’s because I’m not feeling so good as it nearly always makes me feel better. It also serves to remind me of the simplicity of pleasure — it’s completely free yet it’s still fun.
Watching kids’ TV shows/films
There’s something so very pure about watching what I once loved. I suppose this also falls under the ‘nursing my inner child’ that I’ve spoken about before, but the nostalgic, comforting feelings it brings truly fills me with whimsy. I’m a huge fan of Moomins, in part because I find Tove Jansson’s life story fascinating, as well as my all time favourite: Steven Universe. What’s more, is I sometimes watch them with French dubbing to incorporate a bit of language practice.
Talking to my teddies
Another one I did a lot when I was little. I have a lot less teddies than back then, but I wanted to give them a ‘purpose’ so they weren’t simply taking up space in my room. For example, I got a Jellycat for my birthday who has become my ‘meditation partner’ that I now associate with being calm. We also adopted a mocha Cinnamoroll from Build-A-Bear called Rosalina, whom we talk to as if she’s our child!
“A frog has stolen my phone.”
While doing my research, I came across the idea of “pretending a frog has stolen your phone” to encourage leaving it at home. Although I’d had phone-free days before, it was never because of amphibian theft, so it made me chuckle. Soon after this, my heart dropped when I was in town and couldn’t find my phone. I started freaking out, until I remembered and said, “It’s okay; a frog is borrowing it.” Thankfully, it turns out I’d left it at home (or the frog had borrowed and kindly returned it), and I realised it was refreshing to spend a few hours in the present.
Taking pictures of pretty or funny things
This is debatably in disaccordance with the frog stealing my phone, but I like taking pictures to preserve memories. I acknowledge it can be annoying when people around you are constantly taking snaps instead of savouring the moment, which is why I try to bring my camera when I can. Even if I don’t, it’s still nice to capture those little things so I can look back and reminisce.
Writing letters to myself
I find this one beneficial for several reasons. First of all, I like to do these in the form of a watercolour card, making the whole process creative and cathartic. It’s highly therapeutic to write everything I want to tell my future self, and it’s even more satisfying once I get to open it. Before starting final year, I wrote a little letter to myself in my journal for when I’m feeling demotivated by uni, where I essentially remind myself of how hard I’ve already come, as well as a proper card for when I’ve graduated. I fortunately haven’t had to remotivate myself (yet), but I’m excited to see what I wrote to myself when I graduate.
Keeping trinkets everywhere
There’s a limit with this one, because it can quickly turn your house into a manic tip, but keeping trinkets everywhere makes me feel like I’m in a witch’s cottage. Most of my trinkets are either functional – for example a rose aromatherapy stone – or they have sentimental value. This, in my opinion, is what trinkets are all about as I’m opposed to useless overbuying.
Finding new cafes to sit or study in
A habit that I adopted in Geneva was giving myself a ‘quest’ of the day, so that I can always say I’ve accomplished at least one thing. On my days off from uni, my quest is often to find a new café and rate it in my head. The two main criteria for my rating are based on its coffee quality, and whether it’s a nice place to study. I think that I’ve now been to most of them in Lancaster’s city centre, but I’d love to say that I’ve tried them all by the end of my time here.
Seeds for the birds
This is the one I haven’t yet tried, but all the supplies are ready. A recommendation on Pinterest told me to “carry seeds around to feed birds”, which led me to find an organza bag, and I luckily already had pumpkin seeds in my kitchen. We’ve agreed that when the weather warms up, we’re going to walk along the canal and feed the ducklings and cygnets, which I’m really looking forward to.
Technically, a lot of these cross over into other wellness habits I’ve incorporated, but maybe that’s a good thing; they’re easier when they tick more than one box. And, even if many of them are fairly normal activities, it adds an extra touch of fun to them when I imagine they make my life more whimsical. So if you’re reading this with a confused look on your face, don’t be so quick to reject the idea — you might just need a little bit of whimsy, and end up happier for it.
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