You’ve put lots of thought into choosing the right apartment; but happiness at home isn’t just about your walls. It’s also about how you live inside of them. What happens inside of our apartment affects our mood, our life and our happiness in a big way! Here are a few simple tips that will help make you happier in your new space and make the most of that beautiful apartment, day-in and day-out!
- Make your bed. You might find yourself feeling too rushed in the morning to tidy up behind yourself; but stop to realize how nice it will be to return to your bed at the end of the day and find it neatly made and waiting for you to crawl into and have sweet dreams. Think of the few minutes it will take to make that bed as an investment in feeling happy before you go to sleep tonight. You’ll make your room more lovely and inviting by performing just that one small task.
- Surround yourself with sentimental objects. Happy memories can make us happier by remembering them; and the tokens of those experiences are great reminders. Don’t overdo it and create clutter; but do make your apartment home a gallery of positive memories by choosing tokens of your favorite experiences and people and putting them on display where they’ll call those experiences and people to mind.
- Start a Gratitude Journal. Choose a cool journal that reflects your personality (Target always has a great selection of inexpensive ones) and keep it on your bedside table. Each night, take a couple of minutes to write down one thing you’re grateful for and why. Reflection is an important part of happiness. This exercise also sends you off to sleep with a happy thought in mind, which is a recipe for better rest and happier dreams.
- When you can’t get out of it, get into it! This one comes straight out of The Happiness Project, and it’s fantastic advice for not just living well in your apartment, but for all sorts of things. Those dishes aren’t going to wash themselves, so try to find something great about washing the dishes! Put on some great music. Dance while you splash around in the warm water and bubbles. Try your best to love getting those dishes clean! Fake it ‘til you make it, if you have to, but if you try, you’ll find an amazing capacity within yourself for making things feel like they’re a lot more fun!
- Reach out and touch someone. You might not be old enough to know that’s a cheesy old tagline from a telephone company commercial; but it’s a good way to ensure your happiness, nonetheless. Even if it’s at the end of the day after you’ve crawled back into that well-made bed; take a minute to communicate with at least one friend or family member a day that you haven’t seen or talked to. It can be a sibling, parent, or other relative or just a good friend. We people are social beings and studies show that even if we don’t feel like talking to someone, even if we’re introverts, socializing with the people we love and who are important to us will make us happier.
- Invest in things that will create good experiences right there in your apartment home. Save up for a new grill for the patio, some great movies for family movie night or plan an excellent dinner party with a cool theme. Make happy memories right there within those walls to attach even more happy memories to your home space.
- Finally, spend a few minutes of every single day connecting with something bigger than you. You don’t have to be spiritual or religious to pray or meditate (I love this article about “prayer”); but studies show that connecting to a higher power is correlated with happiness. Just spend a few minutes contemplating that you’re part of an enormous universe, and one of billions of people sharing a planet; millions sharing a country; thousands sharing a state, city and neighborhood. Your problems may be real, but you’re not the only ones having them, and yours are probably less insurmountable than many. Take a walk and look at some trees; just spend a minute when you wake up in the morning; or make it part of your gratitude journaling time. You can even create a sacred space in your apartment just for sitting and meditating; even if that space is just your bathtub with a couple of candles lit on the vanity.
Enjoy your apartment in happiness and in health!