Life
5 Fresh Ways To Upgrade Your Life Just In Time For Spring
Spring has officially arrived. And with it, longer days, blooming gardens, and the burning desire to freshen up your life, whatever that may mean for you. After a winter season that felt like it lasted 12 months, who can blame us for desperately wanting to shed our skin (read: our puffy parkas), step into the sunshine, and charge forward as lighter, upgraded versions of ourselves?
But when it comes to living our best lives, the tricky part is figuring out exactly how to do that, and identifying what changes we need to make to elevate our day-to-day. This year, we're narrowing it down by sticking close to the things that make us happy — no matter what.
So whether that means making our house smell like a spa or trading double taps and tags for IRL time with our BFFs, our plan is to "do us" all season long.
In the spirit of living our best, most joyful lives, we teamed up with Cupcake Vineyards to bring you a fresh approach.
Read on for 5 ways to upgrade the hell out of your life.
1. First things first: Make your house smell amazing
Before creating a masterpiece, an artist begins with a blank canvas. Before embarking on serious life upgrades, we begin with a nice-smelling apartment. But before you break out the air fresheners and scented candles, consider a fancier (and more photographable) technique: simmer a pot with water, lemon slices, fresh rosemary, and a dash of vanilla extract.
Your house will smell incredible, and a deliciously lovely home base is the first step to an upgraded life. Mmmm!
2. Up-cycle your closet and rediscover your fave hidden gems
If there's one thing that consistently doesn't make us happy, it's tearing through our overstuffed closets every morning in search of something decent to wear.
But instead of shopping for new spring essentials, sift through your wardrobe and find new uses for the amazing pieces you forgot you already had. 'Girl power' graphic tee that was cool in eighth grade? Snip off the sleeves and tuck it into high waisted jeans for the perfect feminist-chic ensemble. Your mom's oversized college hoodie? Cut it into a cropped style and rock the vintage look with denim shorts.
3. Put an unexpected spin on your typical plans
We all have our favorite dates that we look forward to adding to the calendar each month, whether it's Sunday brunch with the girls, book club with your college friends, or Friday date night with your main squeeze.
Even though these activities are great as-is, spice things up for spring by reinventing them with a surprising spin. Choose a drag show/brunch combo over your usual neighborhood spot, pick a beloved children's book for your next book club selection, and make date night an adventure by indulging in some laser tag instead of the usual fancy restaurant.
4. Find creative ways to cut down on screen time
After a long winter of movie marathons and social media stalking, it's natural to fall into an electronics-induced rut. That's why this spring we're upgrading our life by actually living it — in the real world.
Challenge yourself to ditch the phone during your commute by taking notes about the people around you for a short story, or make your next girls' night screen-free, as in no movies, no social media, and definitely no dating apps. You'll be surprised at how refreshing it is to connect with yourself and others without the distraction of technology.
5. Seek out joy in all situations (yes, *all* of them)
It's easy to have fun when you're doing something enjoyable, but a major shortcut to an upgraded life is finding joy in all situations, not just the pleasant ones.
Accidentally 'reply all' on an email to your entire company? Find the humor in it and follow up with an appropriate GIF. Spill food all over your white shirt on a first date? Embrace the awkwardness and invite your date on a silly impromptu shopping trip.
When you seek out the silver lining in rough moments, it's amazing how quickly your outlook and your life can change — for the better.
This post is sponsored by Cupcake Vineyards.