Going through a divorce always brings about a number of lifestyle changes. Even in cases when the divorce goes “smoothly”.
Namely, adjusting to the new circumstances in your life can be quite emotional. After all, you used to share your life, love, time, and home with your ex. But initiating changes in your lifestyle, starting with your living space, should help you fully embrace the fact that a new phase of your life is beginning.
First of all, try to remember that it is perfectly natural to go through a transition period in which you feel slightly off balance. Whether you feel relief or nostalgia after the divorce, the comprehensive changes that await you might seem overwhelming at first.
Yet, it is precisely the fact that you can change your life any way you want that should bring a sense of control, peace, and closure after the divorce. And the easiest way to start the wave of change is to make changes in your physical environment. Let’s see how!
Start redecorating from the bedroom
Whether you are moving into a new home or redecorating your old home, the bedroom is probably the first room that you should reclaim as your own.
The bedroom furniture and decor are probably the strongest reminders of what it was like living with your ex-partner. Not to mention that for most people, the bedroom is practically a personal sanctuary where they can unwind and find their peace.
Waking up every day in the room you shared with your ex-partner could just bring you back into that headspace without you consciously noticing it. That is why it makes sense to strip the bedroom of all remnants of your past relationship.
Simple changes go a long way
It’s important to note that none of the changes you make need to be monumental, but any little rework helps.
Observe the remodel of your home as a kind of a ‘purge’ in which you can get rid of painful reminders or memories that are holding you back. What’s more, bringing in something simple such as new curtains, linen, or a new rug might give the room an entirely different vibe.
Introduce small interior design changes to drive your life to a new destination.
Declutter your home
Sure, moving on is a whole lot easier when you move out. Just make sure that you reduce the amount of old belongings that you bring into your new home.
Bringing in the baggage of your past life into your new home might just unnecessarily taint the new living space with old memories. Furthermore, it does not make much sense to evoke the vibe of your old home in your new home.
The same is true for people who want to redecorate their old place.
Of course, we are not saying you should throw away family items and trinkets that are dear to you. But there are surely a lot of things such as excess clothing or decorative items that are just occupying the space, making it difficult to envision your home as anything other than a place where you used to live with your ex.
Instead, everything in your home should signify a fresh start from which you can build an entirely new way of living for yourself and your kids.
Bring in plants
Take a long, objective look at your living area. If you moved to a new home, the new layout can actually inspire you to take up a new hobby - gardening. If you stayed in your old home, a couple of plants can bring in a breath of fresh air into the living space.
If you decide to pare down the number of belongings you have, that presents the perfect foundation for creating your own private jungle in the corners of your home that are now relieved of unnecessary furniture pieces.
Pursuing such a noble hobby does not only make your home feel like a zone of self-actualization and creativity, it also enriches the soul and the air you breathe!
Paint the walls to refresh your home
The quickest way to refresh your entire home all at once is to give it a new layer of paint. The color and hue you choose will mark a new visual identity of your home.
Also, note that colors have a big influence on our mood. The color reformation of your home should improve your outlook and give you that oh-so-needed lust for life. The wrong color can aggravate you or make you feel groggy (our advice - avoid greens).
Consider this as an opportunity to choose the color scheme you never had the guts to implement in your home! Since you don’t have the responsibility to fulfill anyone’s expectations but your own, some experimenting with bold colors such as red, burgundy, or salmon will give you and your home a new lease on life. Speaking of…
Experimenting should be an integral part of creating a home after divorce!
Why stop at the walls? You can segue into this new chapter of your life by giving yourself full artistic freedom to do whatever you want with your entire home (and by extension, your life).
Your ex never liked your design choices? Now’s the time to reclaim the space and the days you went without having a leather armchair, sports memorabilia, your favorite artist’s merch, weird sculptures, or anything else that you compromised on.
And not only that. The new design choices that you introduce to your home should not only be a mere negation of what your living space used to look like. Experimenting with shapes, colors, furniture, and furniture placement is also an opportunity to investigate your own stylistical preferences - beyond what you think you know about yourself!
And while you’re busy taking care of your new home, of the new you, let FamiliPay cover the administrative co-parenting duties. Start your free trial today!