We talked about self-care a couple of weeks ago, but there is more to talk about.  I hope you had time to think about your own self-care.   Hopefully, you are working on your personal care every day, to help you feel better both in mind and body.  As you work on that side of self-care, you should also start thinking about your environment.  Our emotional health has a great deal to do with how we treat ourselves, and how we manage our surroundings.  So today, let’s talk about our surroundings.  I believe you can tell a lot about a person from their home, including how they keep it and how they manage it. 

I spent much of my career in social work, visiting families at home.  There was a lot to learn by sitting in someone’s living room.  I have been in well-kept homes, and homes that were a horrible mess.  I have been in homes where I felt threatened and homes where I was welcomed warmly.  As I think about my past visits, I think about the jobs I did and the reason for those visits.  I have been a foster care worker, a family worker for incarcerated juveniles, a home therapist, and a part of a home primary care team.  I learned more from home visits than I often learned from having someone in therapy for weeks.

When I think about my home, I know I feel better when it’s picked up.  There is comfort in an evening when I know that the sheets have been changed, the laundry is done, and the dishes are washed and dried and put away.  I feel better and more productive.  My stress level rises when there are dishes in the sink, a pile of laundry by the washing machine, and things scattered around the house.  Taking care of tasks around the home can help me feel better.  Consider your surroundings.  Whether you live with family, alone, or with roommates, you have control of your surroundings.  If you live alone, you can manage chores on your schedule.  If you live with family, there may be expectations around chores.  If you have roommates, you can’t manage their choices but you can manage your own.  Whatever your situation, you can help yourself by managing your surroundings to help with self-care.

When you think about your environment, consider what will help you feel better and more confident.  Consider making your bed in the morning.  Coming home to a bed that is made can foster a feeling of organization.  Not leaving dishes in the sink can help you feel accomplished, and you won’t have to worry about doing them later.  Think about a laundry schedule.  Don’t wait for a month, wearing dirty clothes for a while, before you manage it.

Self-care is not just about personal care, it’s also about taking care of your surroundings.  It’s a feeling that you can handle things, from dishes to laundry.  It is knowing that part of your life is in order, even if other areas are not.  Things can be hard at work, but I would rather come home to a picked-up house than a messy one.  Take a look at your environment.  Make it what you need it be as a part of your self-care.  Keep it orderly, safe, and comfortable.  It’s your safe space.  It’s also a part of being happy, for life.