January 14th is the annual “Organize Your Home Day.”
We are fresh off the holidays. For many, this season brought us an influx of presents and toys, food and drink, visitors and overnight house guests. The holiday decorations may be overstaying their welcome.
And for those of us who have committed to healthier habits in the new year, organizing our home environment is a powerful form of self-care.
This day has significant meaning to me. Not because I’m among those special people who have a designated place for every single item in their homes (#lifegoals) but because home was not always a happy place for me.
As a young teen, there were times when I worried where I would sleep next.
Our homes are an expression of ourselves. Our place to gather with family and friends. Our sanctuary where we hide away from the world. And sometimes – as in my case as a young girl – our hell.
I bounced from the home of my father and stepmother at age 14. From my mother’s home at age 16. Between the homes of friends and neighbors. And finally staying with my grandparents until I turned 18.
Many years later, I have my own home. It is a peaceful place, my oasis. It reflects what is important to me. It’s adorned with artwork that inspires my creativity. It has cozy living spaces that embrace those most dear to me. It offers refuge where I can recharge and take on the world refreshed.
I don’t take for granted what it means to have a safe space that provides shelter and rest.
Over time, I learned how closely linked my well-being is to a well-arranged home that allows me to comfortably eat, sleep, work, connect, and relax.
Having worked in corporate America, started my own businesses, and been a single parent, I’ve always craved a place to come home to that calmed instead of overwhelmed me. An organized environment benefitted my son as well. I didn’t want him to experience the chaos I did as a teenager.
When my house is in disarray, I feel off-kilter, like I’m not fully in control of my world.
And conversely, when my house is orderly, I am ready to take on any challenge.
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“Organize Your Home Day” is an excellent opportunity for us to bring our literal houses back in order.
Organizing our home environment is absolutely a form of self-care.
By bringing structure to what is disorderly, we care for our mental health and well-being.
We remove the overwhelm that comes with a cluttered environment. We avoid the anxiety of not being able to find what we need when we need it. We put our minds at ease with systems that work for us.
I kindly offer two thoughts when you decide to organize your home:
– You don’t have to do it in a day.
– Your organization doesn’t have to be perfect.
Organizing is a process, often ongoing. And with all the demands on us as women – especially moms – let’s be gentle with ourselves, not adding unnecessary pressure to our lives.
We perform self-care by creating spaces that bring us peace, comfort, and inspiration.
We practice self-love when we allow ourselves to not be perfect.
We become our best selves when we make self-care and self-love part of our daily lives.
My best wishes to you in creating a home environment where you will thrive!
