By Mariella Neri

Sometimes we slip away into fantasies about what we wished our life could be like. Constantly comparing our lives to others and questioning how and why these thoughts are surfacing. Personally, I think part of it is associated with watching many “in a day in the life” tik tok’s. It is extremely easy to become engrossed by aesthetically appealing snapshots of random people’s lives, honestly, it can be a bit unhealthy. It causes us to criticize ourselves, “why aren’t I that productive'', “I am so lazy”, “I wish my life looked like that.”

We are taught to cast a façade for the world to view because if our lives aren’t deemed appealing then we are just normal people. What really is the definition of a normal lifestyle? I would love to know and see what that routine entails. In reality,” a day in the life” is what your body, mind, and soul need and feel on a day-to-day basis. Perfecting a routine is satisfactory, I won’t lie, but it isn’t a necessity. Because aren’t some of the best days the spontaneous ones? If I woke up and could tell you exactly everything I was going to do in a day, took a video and mirrored it perfectly it would be incredibly boring and disappointing. This is because it is extremely easy to convince ourselves that the romanticized lives on tik tok are more extraordinary than our own because they seem unattainable or like a dream. Although order and structure keep an individual grounded, the carefree nature of “a day in the life” should not be overlooked.

As you endlessly scroll on tik tok and view “a day in the life” of a random individual don’t criticize yourself or feel the need to conform to certain norms because it won’t automatically create happiness. I find myself guilty of planning too far ahead, which only builds my anxiety. When I challenge myself to go into at least one day every week with absolutely no plan other than a few priorities and see where life takes me, I end up way more satisfied. Isn’t that what the journey is about? Looking back to view where life spontaneously took you? I’d sure rather watch that movie when it’s over instead of a boring 60-second tidbit of something I could regurgitate in my sleep.