When life feels like “the grass is greener on the other side,” it can feel pretty demoralizing,
especially during your college years. You’re navigating a whole chapter of your life that typically involves a lot of self-discovery.

But I heard an additional phrase to the saying that encompasses the reality of this feeling: the grass is greener on the other side, but the brown patches are in different spots. Sometimes life just simply sucks, but this doesn’t mean you’re stuck wishing you were in a different spot.
Because honestly, there’s always going to be difficulties that you’ll face, but in different spots.

This is where romanticism comes in. In simplest terms, delu(lu)de yourself to believing life is as great as you can make it. Obviously exam stress or responsibilities that have strict deadlines may be out of your control, but you can find ways to view the world that refreshes you.

As a senior in college, I’m so used to seeing the same parts of my college over and over again, that it can become boring – almost sickening during times when I’m stressed out. But during these times is when I romanticize the absolute hell out of my life to remind myself how hard I’ve worked, and especially how I fell in love with my school in the first place.
I quite literally sit in certain spots on campus and simply breathe. I look around the world with bright eyes, as if I’m a freshman again. I watch the sunset, stare at a bird, and appreciate what I can to re-romanticize my life.

This is what I would define as finding the small joys in life. I hope that during your stressful and hard times, you will remember to breathe for even 10 seconds to remember that life is still fun and exciting. That you just have to open your eyes a little brighter and romanticize every aspect of what you have.