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House Proud | Keeping Up With the Jones' | Treading Water | Keep it Simple
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- A beautiful home is your pride and joy, but it’s also your family’s refuge from the world outside. Ask family members about their vision for your home, and be sure to consider their practical needs when creating your plans for the home.
Take time to savour your accomplishments and the expression of your art.
- A source of joy and pride can easily become an obsession. So, watch for signs that suggest you could be turning into a ‘hom-a-holic’. For example:
- Most waking moments are spent thinking about home care and presentation.
- You can’t sit and relax without popping up to straighten a lampshade or pick lint off a cushion.
- The local paint store is on your speed dial.
- You never miss a home decorating television show.
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- Separate the 'must do' from the ‘would be nice'. Since image is so important to you, concentrate your maintenance efforts on four public areas:
- Keep the clutter under control in your living and entertaining areas.
- Make your front door entryway presentable.
- Keep up with the dishes in the kitchen.
- Clean the bathrooms.
Ease up on the rest
- Neutralize your martyr tendencies. Partner on a household project with a friend who knows how to lighten up and enjoy life while getting the job done.
- Find and face your fears. Take a close look at why and how the state of your home is so closely tied to your feelings of competence and status. What might be missing from your emotional life? In what other ways might you meet those needs to feel valued?
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- Listen to how you talk to yourself and others about your situation. If your self-talk is peppered with ‘poor me… life is hard’ phrases, you’ll just create and attract more misery. Find one thing to appreciate in your circumstances. Focus on that.
- Don’t torment yourself by repeatedly reviewing everything that’s undone in your life. Channel that energy into mastering a couple of simple systems that will help you stay on top of just one or two key priorities (i.e. healthy meals and clean clothes).
- Sacrifice a couple of fast food meals to free up the money to hire someone to clean for just a few hours every second week. You needn’t be rich to hire a helping hand.
- Create one, small, tiny welcoming sanctuary - a place of peace and escape - in the midst of the chaos. It could be as simple as a chair with a favourite book, or a bedside table with a flower and a photograph of happy times.
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- Sidestep any attempts on the part of others to shame you into conforming to a more traditional approach to home care. Keep yourself from being drawn into a set of practices that don’t work for you. Avoid apologizing for your choices.
- Expect and encourage participation from every able-bodied resident. Actively acknowledge each person’s contributions. Voice your appreciations - don’t just think it.
- Talk with friends, colleagues and extended family about your choices to simplify and streamline home care. Reassure and encourage those who make creative choices based on their values - rather than simply following habit or tradition.
- Relax and enjoy the activities and relationships for which you’ve carve out time and saved energy
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