Recently everyone has been romanticizing a "2000s nostalgia teenage aesthetic", but what does that really mean? To me it means a lifestyle where i'm more present, having more fun, and actually living my life! Although I am still figuring it out, I do have a few tips I want to share:
- Immerse yourself
Immerse yourself in various content of the life you want to live. Now I know this sounds counterintuitive in our journey to be more present and less online BUT hear me out it works. When you scroll with intention everything changes. Instead of scrolling mindlessly through the various trends and random videos, look up moodboards, scroll on TikTok through a specific aesthetic, and listen to music that matches the vibe. I could not tell you the science behind it but for me it is working. Currently I am so ready for fall, and so I have been scrolling through "2000s fall aesthetics" as silly as that sounds, I have been listening to my fall playlist and curating it further, and I have been totally romantisizing the heck out of my life. Believe it or not, I feel like I am a true 2000s autumn teenage girl but taking in all the content is certainly not the only thing I did.
2. Be more social
This is such an important part of life, especially considering one of the biggest factors that makes our lives meaningful is the relationships we have with those around us. I know people can suck and be annoying and hanging out with people can sound like a chore sometimes, at least for me, but I never regret spending quality time with the people I love. However, spending quality time does not have to mean planning out long and elaborate hangouts weeks in advance, it can just be a spontaneous "hey do you want to go to the library and study together" or maybe just "hey do you want to get ice cream after school?" like literally the smallest moments can be the most meaningful. Fill your lives with those short and long meaningful interactions and time well spent. It's crazy how much more fulfilled I feel even after studying next to a friend as we don't speak and do our own thing, yet it is so much better than if I was alone. Now being social is not just restricted to friendships of family, you should talk to random people too! It can be so tempting to shy away from social interaction, but the small conversations with strangers is such an essential part of our lives and just being human. We were born and crafted to connect and trust me it will make your life sooo much better and make you feel more alive!
3. Curate playlists and spam them
The power of music to set a good ambience is crazy. So take some time and curate specific playlists for specific times and play the heck out of them. For instance, I have made my perfect cozy fall playlist (and named it senorita awesome because I am a scream queens fan) and plan to purely listen to this playlist for the next 3 months. Okay so that might be a little overboard and you don't have to follow my crazy, but play it while you study, on the way to school, at the gym, while you journal or draw, in the car, etc. My point is just do not underestimate the power of music.
4. Live your life
This may seem like silly advice but its something many of us, including me, need a daily reminder of. I know you have responsibilities and expectations, but you are more than that. Your life is more than what you could make it. Your life is right now. I am not saying neglect all your responsibilities to go party, all I am saying is laugh, have fun, and spend time with the people you love without feeling like you need to constantly be stressed about something to live. I always fall victim to the feeling that every second of my time needs to be productive for it to be meaningful, but I'm slowly unlearning that. I recently read somewhere that every minute of our lives does not have to be converted into something useful. That thought helps slow me down and I hope it helps you too.
That is all the tips I have for now, but I am sure I could make this into a series. I hope you enjoy the first blog post of the Dear Girl Club!
Love, the girl behind the mailbox <3