Turning Your New House into a New Home

Turning Your New House into a New Home

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So, you’ve got a new home or you want to build a new home. The entire process can be exhilarating and overwhelming, especially if you are building from the ground up. Hiring the right contractors is imperative. Before you do anything, do your research. For example, you can search home builders in Chester County PA, and see the reviews on the best contractors in your area.

Now, that your new house is ready for living, you should know there have been a number of sociological and psychological studies that link having a tidy home with a tidy mind; indeed, it is now scientifically proven that a cluttered house can contribute to a cluttered mind.

Yet, this isn’t limited to physical clutter.

The Stress of It All

There’s a well-known concept within psychology that niggling ‘incomplete’ tasks cause significant stress, as an example, there might be a number of jobs within your home that you keep putting off; whether that’s to dig out a certain weed, repair broken glass, or retile the bathroom.  The challenge, of course is that when moving into a new house, there can be such a large list of niggling ‘incomplete’ tasks that you can feel completely overwhelmed.

Unfortunately, when we have a number of incomplete tasks our brain feels stress, even if they are tiny things, and it ultimately lowers our self esteem because we feel like we are not keeping on top of things.  When we have a long to-do list, particularly when it comes to tasks around the house, it can feel overwhelming and somewhat stifling, which is why it’s a great idea to keep that list small and tick things off as often as possible.

Now, when it comes to buying a new home this list can feel endless – particularly if you’re buying a home in need of some renovation.

Prioritize Tasks

The trick here is to prioritize tasks according to their significance and to chunk tasks together – so that your to-do list is much smaller; as an example, consider grouping all minor garden tasks together such as weeding, painting the fence, and so on.  You will then end up with a to-do list that is chunked into a handful  of categories that each have a handful of tasks to complete.

There are a variety of apps, such as wunderlist that can help you get organised in this way, and the greatest thing from a psychological perspective is that with these apps you can tick items off and then look back at all the completed items which is great for your self-esteem.

House or Home

Now, in terms of buying a new home it’s often agreed that there’s a huge difference between buying a house and buying a home.

A house is a physical commodity that can simply be purchased, whereas a home is something you must create…. Home is a feeling and a sense of belonging that transcends the value of the bricks and mortar holding up the roof over your head.

Home could be summed up as a sensation of peace… it can be a feeling of relief, such as when you pull into the driveway after a long trip and rest your weary head on your pillow… a feeling of comfort… or even a feeling of focus.  Home means different things to different people, but your sense of home is something that must be created.

If your home is a disorganised mess you’re unlikely to be able to create the sense of serenity and harmony you would like to experience as it’s not going to exude the emotional feeling of warmth, stability and peace that most people crave from their home.

Organize List

One of the greatest tips with regard to turning your new house into a home is the power of taking immediate action and building momentum.  Think of how much effort and fuel it takes to launch an airplane into the sky, yet once it has got momentum, it can cruise along with significantly less effort.  The underlying principle within the following three tips, therefore, is to take immediate action and build positive momentum.

  1. MAKE YOUR MARK

It’s important that your house feels like it belongs to you.  There’s a strong chance your new house will have remnants of the previous owners tastes and preferences in terms of its style.  The house might be stripped back to the basics, but there’s still likely to be a feeling of it belonging to someone else.  This is why you need to make your mark.  Similar to how a dog will mark his territory, you need to mark your territory in your new home in order to feel a secure sense of belonging.  There are several little things you can do to make your mark and turn your house into a home.

  1. PUT OUT PERSONAL ITEMS

Everyone has certain items they feel a strong emotional connection with and attachment to; indeed, just like a child with a teddy bear, there’s often a few pieces of furniture that just feel like home… whether that’s an old coffee table you’ve had for many years or a painting that’s been in your family for generations.  Whilst it’s important you don’t clutter your new home in the first few weeks, whilst you unpack, it can be a nice symbolic gesture to put out a few photographs that allow you to immediately start feeling more at home in your space.

Artwork is another great place to start, as wall hangings aren’t going to get in the way of your unpacking and instantly brighten up the space.  Mirrors are obviously fragile, and want to be wrapped with care, but when they are safely hung on the walls, you no longer have to worry about smashing them and getting seven years of bad luck.

  1. CLEANSE THE SPACE

In addition to the rational scientific need to clean in order to kill germs, the emotional aspect of cleaning your new home is a powerful emotional process that essentially cleanses the old and welcomes the new.  There are many emotional benefits of cleaning your new home and cleansing your space – the major benefit is that you will have the chance to connect with your new home and feel united with the space… and the more you energetically feel you are nurturing your new home, the more you are likely to feel nurtured by your new home in return.

Hopefully, these three principles put you in good stead to turn your new house into a happy home.

Tia, and TipsfromTia.com  is trying to keep you looking good and
feeling good, from the inside out. If you’ve got a problem or a tip email me! Be sure to Like and share on Facebook or Follow on Twitter or Instagram.