By Kate Castello
If I’m being honest, I used to hate the springtime.
When I was younger, I only saw it as the final obstacle between me and my one true love—summer vacation—thereby making it my greatest enemy. However, as each year passes (and I survive another long, stagnant, Pennsylvania winter) the first warm breezes of March and April have become more and more like long-lost friends, and I patiently await their arrival. It was only after I took a step back and realized how much there is to love about spring, that I truly came to appreciate it.
So, if you’re like me and have a hard time embracing the thirteen weeks between winter and summer, I hope you’ll find this guide to romanticizing the springtime helpful.
1. Prepare your space
There are few things I love as much as I love spring cleaning. For some reason decluttering and reorganizing my room puts me in such a good mood, and I totally recommend it if you’re looking to refresh your living space. My favorite way to do this is to put on some music, open my window to allow some fresh air in, and get to work. Sort through that pile of papers that's been sitting on your desk for six weeks, clean out your closet (don’t worry, we’ll refill it soon;), and make your room ready for the new season!
2. Set the mood
Making a new playlist is a great way to get in the spirit of spring. Now, I won’t claim to have immaculate music taste (most people who know me know that 99% of the time I’m listening to Arctic Monkeys—no I haven’t gotten out of my 2014 Tumblr grunge phase). But there are a few songs that always remind me of warm weather and trees budding.
❀ i saw you in a dream by Japenese House
❀ Buttercup by Hippo Campus
❀ Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy by Queen
❀ From Eden by Hozier
❀ Someone New by Hozier
❀ Kyoto by Phoebe Bridgers
❀ betty by Taylor Swift (honestly all of folklore could be put on here but I’m trying to control myself)
❀ Runaway by AURORA
❀ deja vu by Olivia Rodrigo
If you’re looking for even more recommendations you can check out the Studio 412 Spotify here! https://open.spotify.com/user/r9dervge94wfw4irhxbl191db
3. Refresh your wardrobe
This is probably my favorite part of getting ready for a new season—buying a few new pieces of clothing to fill out my wardrobe and pin down my style for the next few months. (If you haven’t been able to tell already, I’m a cottagecore b!tch and am desperately craving the warmer months so I can flounce around in frilly dresses). I also love thrifting and think it’s a great eco-friendly and inexpensive way to try out a new aesthetic. If you have a specific item you are looking for, apps like ThredUp, Poshmark, and Depop are great because you can customize your search much easier than in a physical store. In general, having a couple of new clothing items really encourages me to dress up day-to-day and overall just boosts my mood!
4. Activities
Now that you’re in the spring spirit, it only feels right to do some spring-related activities. You’ll see a theme amongst my suggestions of just generally being outside and enjoying nature, but if you’re more of a homebody, that’s totally cool too!
❀ Now this one is pretty revolutionary, and you’ve probably never thought of it—going on a picnic. Yes, I know, shocking. Seriously though, picnics are one of my favorite activities, and even though we go to school in a city, there are plenty of places to enjoy nature here. Schenley Park is my favorite! Cut up some fruit, pack some snacks, grab a blanket, and you’re ready to go. I will absolutely be dragging my friends to do this as soon as it gets warm enough (Belle, Sydney, and Brittany if you’re reading this, get ready)
❀ Going for a walk is another easy way to get outside and enjoy the approaching spring weather. This one is also super convenient because it can be accomplished on your way to class. Perhaps you could even listen to your new spring playlist.
❀ Similar to going on a picnic, I think an outside reading date would be super fun! It could be with your partner, your friends, or even on your own. I find reading outside to be really relaxing, and getting to listen to the birds, and the wind fluttering through the trees puts me in such a dreamy mood.
❀ Read poetry! My recommendations for the spring are Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman and Dream House by Mary Oliver
❀ If it's a rainy day, or you’d just rather stay inside, putting on a movie or doing a puzzle are great ways to pass time. A movie with an incredible spring/cottagecore aesthetic is “Pride and Prejudice” (2005, although the 1995 version is good too). Or if you’re really just feeling like you need to relax, I like to put on the sound of rain and take a nap, it's pretty much the ultimate comfort.
I know that life can be crazy, especially with midterms just around the corner, and sometimes putting on a song or wearing a pretty dress isn’t enough to calm that craziness. Nevertheless, I hope one or a few of these suggestions got you excited for spring this year and made you think about life in a more romantic way!