You ever notice how when things start to feel heavy, chaotic, or just… ugh, we shrink? We focus on the laundry, the bills, the appointments, the 'shoulds' that never end. We forget that we’re humans with imagination, curiosity, and this crazy-cool little spark that wants to play.
One of the best, lowest-lift ways I fight that shrinking is to add a little whimsical to my days. Tiny things that make me feel alive, silly, joyful, unexpected. The kind of things that make me stop and remember that life doesn’t have to feel so serious all the time.
Some of my favorite ideas (some I've done and do and others not yet):
Carry googly eyes with you and stick them on random objects when the opportunity strikes.
Play coffee shop music while you cook, even if you’re just making eggs.
Air the house out for 15 minutes every day, even when it’s freezing. The difference in energy is wild.
Candlelit showers. Tropical-themed baths with Epsom salt, ocean sounds, and a tropical drink.
Weekly nail appointment with yourself — because even if you aren't going to salon, you can
Take a class (or a free YouTube version) in cooking, ballet, salsa, guitar, drawing, whatever invigorates you.
Write -- poetry, stories, journal
Get a plant and give it a regal human name. Ms. Judy Moffet of Kingsington. Talk to it.
Dress up just because. You own the clothes, why not?!
Turn on the essential oil diffuser and pretend your apartment is a spa retreat.
Take your coffee outside for 5 minutes of sun on your face. Bonus points if you do it barefoot.
Natural-dye sprinkles on your yogurt or oatmeal.
Pick up a new hobby or revisit an old one. Learn a sport, a skill, or just something silly like memorizing the fast part of the song you listened to on repeat in high school.
Put your blanket in the dryer for 5 minutes before you cozy up to a show.
Spend a day pretending you’re the main character in a rom-com and react accordingly. Bonus points if you also make it a no complaining day.
Write a handwritten note, card, postcard or letter to someone.
Invite friends over for a game night, a theme potluck, or make a fort for movie night.
Sign up for something that makes you feel like an athlete again (or for the first time). Race, competition, team.
Start a garden or grow a tiny thing that makes you smile on your windowsill.
Grab a duck figurine and carry it in your purse. Take it out for photo ops anywhere, everywhere, for no reason at all.
Look up a few dad/mom jokes and text them to people you love. Laughter truly is magic.
Read 5 pages of a book every day. You know you wanna.
Plan a fun 1:1 night with your spouse, partner, or kiddo.
Pick one thing you’ve always wanted to learn more about and just start. Curiosity is a life force.
Bedazzle an old flower pot, a boring pair of sneakers or shoes, or your phone case. This seems to be popular in the pre-teen girl population these days. They stole our high school style, so we can steal this from them.
After your kids are ready for bed but before story time, grab a bunch of balled up socks and play dodgeball with them in their room. You will be finding them under their bed for weeks, but the belly laughs are worth it.
Buy a pair of “dressy yoga” pants in a few colors and wear them with tanks, t-shirts, sweaters, blazers, button-downs — your new uniform, comfy year-round. Five stars. Highly recommend.
And if you feel called to add your own whimsical ritual, do it. Make it weird or playful or random. Life doesn’t have to feel heavy all the time, and when it does, we have to push back — remember who we were, who we are, and who we’re becoming. A little whimsy goes a surprisingly long way.
Go add some whimsy this week. You deserve it!
In googly eyes we trust,
Tara
P.S. If you already does some whimsical things or have ideas and wanna share, please feel free to leave a comment.