Well done you! You’ve made it to February. January can be a tough month – back to work, no money, unwanted gifts to return, and feeling slightly larger from having overdone the Christmas jollity. We suggest having another go at your Balance Chart, and then let’s think about your home – our first area on the chart to tackle. We’ll take a section each month, which gives you lots of time for reflection, awareness and then action. Our aim is for you to reach December 2017 laughing more, loving more, playing more and, hopefully, earning more too.
So how do you think of your home? Is it your sanctuary? A nurturing environment where you can relax and enjoy time alone or with friends and family? Do you feel happy when you walk through the front door and look forward to snuggling in your favourite chair, or does your heart sink as you look around? Are you working at home more with flexible working? Do you have an organised working space or does your entire home suddenly feel neither efficient nor relaxing? Not all of us feel our homes are friendly, warm and welcoming and support us no matter what we do in them. For some of us our home is just a place to live. We neglect to look after it and, as a result, the energy becomes stagnant and we may feel stuck or depressed there.
At Life Clubs we’ve met people who believed that their home was in some way responsible for their illness, others who felt deeply threatened by the neighbourhood they were living in, and others who were worried by the expense of their home. Where you live plays a big role in your life and can be a major worry.
Although it might still be what you yearn for, few of us live in the cosy houses we used to draw when we were younger. Even if you spend minimal time at home, it’s still where you eat, wash, sleep and dream – all the basic things of life – and you want to feel comfortable there. It wants to be your sanctuary. As Maya Angelou said: ‘The ache for home lives in all of us, the safe place where we can go as we are and not be questioned’. If you have decluttered your home, explored your neighbourhood, and filled each room with your favourite things and still don’t feel happy, move. Home is the foundation of your life and you want it to feel right.
Here are three tasks for February to bring you closer to your home
1. Do one thing towards improving your home. You’ll know which parts of your home drain your energy. Sort out one of them this month; whether it’s clearing the junk from under your bed, cleaning the windows, hanging a picture or phoning the plumber.
2. Get involved in your community. A neighbourhood you thrive in will make you feel you’re ‘home’ long before you actually reach your front door. This month explore your neighbourhood and see what it offers. Get involved. It can be as simple as borrowing a book from your local library or attending an evening class. It could be helping out at a local charity. See what’s out there.
3. Buy a bunch of flowers for your home. Or a scented candle or anything else that feels like an indulgence. Choose it with love.
Nina Grunfeld is a self-help and wellbeing guru, author, and founder of self-improvement workshops Life Clubs. Read the first in this series here.
