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You don’t have to fake it. You don’t need to force yourself to love school like it’s some perfect coming-of-age movie. 

But if school feels like a never-ending cycle of stress, boredom, and exhaustion, there are ways to make it suck less. Ways to make it feel real, not just a chore. 

This isn’t just about lighting candles and pretending you're in a cozy movie scene—it’s about finding small things that make school feel worth something.

Here’s how to actually romanticize school, in ways that make sense.

How To Romanticize School

1. Romanticize the Small Moments

Not everything needs to be exciting. 

Walking to class with your headphones in, drinking your favorite coffee before the first period, sitting by the window while it rains—these small things matter. 

If you start paying attention to them, school stops feeling like just an obligation.

2. Stop Rushing Through Everything

You don’t have to sprint from one thing to the next. 

Walk slower in the hallways, take your time organizing your bag, actually taste your lunch instead of inhaling it in five minutes. 

When you slow down, things feel less stressful.

3. Make Playlists for Different Moods

One for studying, one for walking to school, one for days when you need to feel like a main character. 

The right music can make even the most boring parts of school feel better.

4. Make an Effort With Your Outfit (Even if It’s Subtle)

No one’s saying you need to go full fashion show every day, but putting some effort into what you wear—accessories, a favorite sweater, even just matching socks—makes a difference in how you feel.

Look good for you. 

5. Keep a Book in Your Bag

Even if you’re not a big reader, find something you actually enjoy. It could be comics, manga, even a book of sudoku or puzzles.

It makes waiting between classes or eating alone feel intentional instead of awkward.

6. Handwrite Notes Like You Actually Care

Not for the aesthetic, but because it helps you stay engaged. 

Use pastel highlighters (or don't), and no, you don't  need the perfect handwriting. 

Make them neat (not perfect), use different colors if that helps, and don’t just mindlessly copy—make them your own.

7. Find a Favorite Study Spot

It could be a specific table in the library, a café, or even just a quiet stairwell no one uses. Having a spot that feels like yours makes studying less painful.

8. Get a Signature Drink

Whether it’s tea, coffee, a smoothie, or even just a specific water bottle, having a go-to drink makes school feel more like an experience than just a place you’re stuck in.

9. Use a Scent That Makes You Feel Good

Perfume, body spray, even a scented lotion. Smell is connected to memory, so finding a scent you love can make school feel less dull.

10. Study in Cozy Lighting

If you have to study, at least make the vibe better. Use a lamp instead of harsh overhead lights, sit by a window, or get fairy lights if that helps.

11. Take Notes With a Pen That Feels Good to Write With

It sounds dumb, but a smooth pen makes a difference. Find one that makes writing feel satisfying.

12. Treat School Like a TV Show You’re In

Not in a cringy way, but if you start thinking of it as a series with different seasons and episodes, suddenly things become more interesting.

13. Make Your Bag a Survival Kit

Headphones, gum, a snack, hand lotion, lip balm—having small things that make you feel prepared makes the day easier.

14. Actually Look Up From Your Phone Sometimes

Not to be all "live in the moment," but seriously—watch the way sunlight comes through the windows, notice how people interact, listen to background conversations. Life feels richer when you actually notice it.

15. Have a Go-To Comfort Outfit

For days when you feel like trash, have a go-to outfit that’s comfortable but still makes you feel put together.

16. Make Studying Feel Like Less of a Task

Light a candle, get a good drink, play low music—set up your space so studying doesn’t feel miserable.

17. Romanticize the Weather

Is it raining? Get a warm drink and listen to lo-fi. Is the morning too cold? Wrap yourself in a scarf and pretend you’re in a movie. 

Make the weather part of the experience.

18. Collect Small Things That Make You Happy

A keychain, a sticker, a small trinket—having tiny things that bring you joy can make your school environment feel more you.

19. Have Something to Look Forward To Every Day

It doesn’t have to be big. Maybe it’s the walk home, a club meeting, or a snack you packed. Give yourself something to anticipate.

20. Sit Somewhere That Feels Right

If you get to choose your seat in class, pick a spot that makes you comfortable. It changes everything.

21. Romanticize Mornings (Even if They’re Early)

Instead of rolling out of bed last minute, try waking up 10 minutes earlier to play music while getting ready or drinking your coffee slowly.

22. Carry a Notebook for Random Thoughts

Not for school—just for you. Doodles, notes, things you overhear, song lyrics that stick with you.

23. Walk With Purpose

Even if you have no idea what you’re doing, walking like you have a purpose makes you feel more put together.

24. Eat Snacks That Make You Happy

If school is draining, at least pack snacks you actually like.

25. Take Pictures of Small Moments

Not necessarily selfies—take a photo of the sky, your desk setup, your shoes on the floor. It makes life feel more intentional.

26. Don’t Let Stress Take Over Everything

Yes, school is important, but so is your mental health. Missing one assignment won’t ruin your future. Take a breath.

27. Find Beauty in the Ordinary

Watch how the light hits your desk, how people interact in hallways, how the air smells after it rains. 

28. Have a Secret Playlist for When You Need Motivation

Yes, we've spoken about playlists for different moods, but you need a playlist specifically filled with music that hypes you up even if it’s embarrassing.

29. Make Eye Contact and Actually Listen

When you talk to people, actually look at them. It makes conversations feel real instead of just background noise. Your interactions shape your school experience more than you realize.

Don’t get so caught up in your own head—worrying about how you come across, overanalyzing every little thing—that you forget to just be in the moment. Pay attention to people. It makes everything feel more genuine.

30. Wear Socks That Feel Nice

It sounds stupid, but trust me—good socks make a difference.

Thick, soft, and slightly oversized ones just hit differently, especially on long school days. Bonus points if they match the vibe of your outfit.

31. Study at a Café (or Just Switch Up Your Space)

If you can, take your studying somewhere new. A coffee shop, a library, even just another part of your house. 

A new setting makes everything feel less repetitive, and suddenly, studying feels a little more like a chill aesthetic moment and less like actual suffering.

32. Pretend You’re in a Cozy Movie Scene When Doing Homework

Fairy lights on. Hoodie on. Rain sounds playing. A warm drink next to you. Suddenly, that awful math assignment is a little more bearable. 

Trick your brain into thinking it’s a peaceful, cozy moment instead of straight-up torture.

33. Get a Good Water Bottle

Drinking water is boring, but a nice water bottle somehow makes it aesthetic. 

You could get one in your favorite color, add some stickers, or get one with a straw (for some reason, it makes you drink more). If you’re gonna be at school all day, at least stay hydrated in style.

34. Write Letters to Your Future Self

It’s actually cool to look back and see what you were thinking at different points in life. 

Write letters about your current thoughts, what’s stressing you out, what you’re excited for—whatever. 

Seal them, hide them somewhere, and open them in a few months or years. It makes time feel less like it’s slipping away so fast.

35. Find Little Traditions That Make School Special

It could be getting the same snack every Friday, taking a mirror selfie in the bathroom before first period, or even wearing a lucky necklace on test days. 

Just the small things that make school feel a little less like a never-ending cycle.

36. Let Yourself Be Excited About Small Wins

Turned in an assignment early? Got through a rough week? Finally got a decent grade on something you struggled with? 

That deserves a little moment. Even if no one else cares, you do. 

You're not pretending everything it’s amazing—it’s about making the small things feel worth something.

37. Remember: It’s Just a Chapter, Not the Whole Story

School can feel like your entire world, but it’s really just one part of life. If it sucks right now, that doesn’t mean it always will. If you love it, enjoy it while it lasts. 

Either way, find things that make it bearable, because one day, you’ll look back and realize how much these years shaped you.

Final Thoughts

At the end of the day, school is what you make of it. If you treat it like just another boring obligation, that’s all it will be. 

But if you start paying attention to the small details, creating little rituals, and finding ways to make it feel personal, it stops being something you just have to survive.