Does Your Home Feel Like Home?

There's something wonderful about walking through your front door, closing it behind you and taking that beautiful, deep breath.

Ahhh, I'm home.

That feeling of comfort.
The warmth.
The peace.
The feeling of being exactly where you want to be.

Have you ever stopped to think about how your home actually makes you feel? Not how it looks, not whether it's beautifully decorated or perfectly organized.

How does it make YOU feel?

Our Homes Tell a Story

Years ago, when I was struggling with depression, I had a big chair in my home. It was a perfectly lovely chair. The problem was that you couldn't sit in it, it was covered in clean laundry. Weeks of it! All washed, dried and waiting to be folded and put away.

Every time I walked past that chair, I saw another thing I hadn't done. Another reminder of how overwhelmed I was feeling. The more overwhelmed I felt, the harder it became to deal with the laundry.

It was quite the little cycle I had going!

Here's what I find interesting looking back. As I began healing, something changed. I started putting the laundry away. Not because someone told me to or I suddenly became a different person.

Because it felt good to do it.

I wanted to sit in my chair.
I wanted my surroundings to feel comfortable.
I wanted to enjoy my home.

As I began feeling better within myself, I started creating an environment that felt better to live in. That has stayed with me.

What Are We Holding On To?

I've been thinking about this quite a bit as I moved. Going through years of belongings and asking myself what I want to take into this next chapter.

Some things bring back wonderful memories.
Some things make me smile.
Some things I genuinely love.

And some things? Well, I'm not entirely sure why I've been keeping them! 😂

It got me thinking about the reasons we hold on to things.

Sometimes it's sentimental.
Sometimes it's practical.
Sometimes it's because we've spent good money on something.

And sometimes, having things around us gives us a sense of comfort or security.

There's no single explanation and there's certainly no rule about how much someone should own. What matters is how those things make us feel.

Are the things around us adding to our lives or have we reached a point where they're taking up space we would rather enjoy?

It's an interesting question, one we don't often stop to ask.

What Do You Love About Your Home?

Before we start looking at anything we might want to change, I want to ask you something. What do you love about your home?

Maybe it's your favourite chair by the window, the morning sunshine coming through your kitchen window, the pictures of your children or grandchildren, the flowers on your table, your favourite coffee mug, the beautiful quiet before everyone else wakes up or the sound of laughter when your family gets together.

What makes you smile?
What brings you comfort?
What gives you that lovely feeling of peace?

Take a moment to notice those things, those feelings matter. Once we begin noticing what feels wonderful, we can start recognizing what we'd like more of.

One small choice that makes your home feel a little more like the place you want to be.

The Home We Create Within Ourselves

Now here's where I want to take this a little deeper because we don't only create environments around ourselves - we create them within ourselves too.

Through our beliefs.
Our expectations.
The way we speak to ourselves.
The things we've accepted as true about who we are.

Think about how often we say things like:

I'm terrible at that.
I'm not very smart.
I could never do something like that.
I'm too old to start something new.
I'm not good enough.

Sometimes we've repeated those beliefs for so many years that we don't even question them anymore. They become familiar, almost like the furniture in our homes. They've been there so long that we barely notice them. But what if we started looking at those beliefs with the same curiosity we're bringing to our surroundings?

Do I still believe this about myself?

Where did this belief come from?

Is it helping me create the life I want to live?

That's where awareness begins and awareness gives us an opportunity to pause. To question something we've believed for years, to explore where it came from and begin healing what we've been carrying.

Eventually, to make room for something different.

Coming Home to Yourself

This is what Coming Home to Yourself means to me. It's about creating a life that feels wonderful to live. A life where you feel peaceful in your choices. Comfortable in your relationships. Confident in who you are.

Free to enjoy the things that bring you happiness.

It's about remembering who you are underneath all those years of expectations, responsibilities and old beliefs and creating more room for the things you truly want.

Joy.
Peace.
Love.
Freedom.
Laughter.
Adventure.

All those wonderful feelings that make life worth living.

What Would Feel Wonderful?

So this week, I'd love you to look around your home. Start with what you love. Notice the things that make you smile. Enjoy the places where you feel comfortable and peaceful.

Then, with curiosity rather than judgment, notice anything that doesn't feel quite the way you'd like it to. You don't have to change it today. You don't even have to know what you'd do differently.

Start with awareness.

Perhaps, while you're looking around your home, take a moment to think about the home you're creating within yourself.

What beliefs are you carrying?
What feelings would you love to experience more often?
What would make your life feel a little more wonderful?

You deserve a home that feels good to come home to and you deserve a life that feels even better to live.

That's what coming home to yourself is all about. 💗