Do you find yourself exhausted at the end of a long day, only to come home and find that your anxiety has followed you to your apartment? Living with stress day in and day out is unhealthy and taxing on the body and mind. Don’t let stress take over your home life! Instead, use apartment living to decompress, simplify life, and become healthier.
Here are our top tips for leading a less-stressed life through better apartment living habits.
Create a Nightly Routine
Having a checklist of things to always do before bed can be helpful in two ways; first, it prepares you for the day ahead. Before you go to bed, take a little time to clear up clutter around the apartment from the day (no deep cleaning is necessary), set out things you’ll need to take to work or run errands the next day (place them directly in front of the door if you’re afraid you’ll forget to grab them), and generally get ready for tomorrow. Second, sticking to this routine nightly will signal your brain that it’s bedtime, making it easier to fall asleep.
Keep Your Bedroom Work-Free
Reserving your bed or bedroom solely for sleep—rather than, say, watching TV or catching up on emails—can really improve your sleep habits. By keeping your sleeping space clear of distractions and work, your brain will learn to associate that space only with restful sleep, rather than with mental checklists or the noise of a TV. If you have a home office in your small apartment’s bedroom, make sure you have a separate desk space, and never do work on your bed.
Keep a Healthy Kitchen
Stock your refrigerator with healthy foods instead of junk so you won’t be tempted to snack on unhealthy treats or rely on fast food for your meals. You can also slice up raw veggies or put servings of raw nuts or popcorn into pre-portioned bags so you won’t overindulge. Preparation is half the battle when it comes to eating healthy and apartment living.
Cook Ahead
Speaking of preparation, planning, cooking, and/or freezing meals or components of meals ahead of time can take a lot of the stress out of making dinner at home. Make a large meal and freeze small portions of it for a quick dinner, or make a couple of simple meals over the weekend or at the beginning of the week, then reheat them as needed.
Work Out at Home
If you can’t make it to the gym all the time but find that regular exercise is a stress-reliever, do some easy workouts at home! Whether that means taking a brisk walk around the apartment complex, playing with the kids in the pool, or doing a couple of sun salutations in the living room, reduce your stress and improve your physical well-being by incorporating exercise into your daily life.
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