your living space influences your growth
Within the last two years, I have moved to a new environment a handful of times. Matt and I practically have the routine down to a T but this time was different.
As you know from my recent blogs, we have officially settled into a longer-term apartment which I am still getting used to. I must keep reminding myself that we are here for longer than 3-6 months, which is the average time we would stay at each place.
I get a little giddy over the thought of that, I’m not going to lie. Ya know, the excitement of traveling and not knowing where we would end up after a few months was thrilling but it did get old pretty quickly. I’m so excited to call someplace home again, celebrate holidays, have gatherings, and have that sense of security.
I’ve noticed how much I change physically and mentally with each new move that we have and this move has been no different. This apartment is an absolute dream and I’m still pinching myself that I get to live here, in an environment that supports my healthy habits and honestly works for me instead of against me.
I wanted to share a few things that I’ve noticed after about a month of living in our new space, but before I do that I want to preface it by saying that we still are lacking a LOT of furniture. We are still missing our couch, lamps, side tables, bookshelves, mirrors, a rug, an entryway table, like pretty much everything that makes a space homier, but we are surviving (and working on it).
It’s these moments of life that you look back on and laugh about, I can already picture Matt and I reminiscing, “do you remember when we were living in our apartment for over a month without furniture and we ate dinner in bed multiple times”
Regardless of our furniture and decor situation, I’ve already experienced much growth and self-awareness. It goes to show how much your living space can influence your lifestyle, habits, and personality even if it isn’t fully furnished.
Improved communication
This is the first time I’ve ever lived in an apartment complex situation. I am talking to people all the time now, in the elevator, up at the pool, in the game room, at the gym, etc. Of course, I’m not having full-blown conversations every place I go but there is more communication than I’m used to. This has been great for getting out of my comfort zone, checking in with my social anxiety, and also learning how to share about my health coaching business. Matt and I had a wonderful conversation with another couple the other night up at the pool. We were both making dinners and enjoying the sunset, so conversation happened naturally. They are a bit older and were interested in the fact that I started my own business, to be honest, this was the first time that I was answering questions regarding my coaching business to someone that I didn’t know, wasn’t online, or behind a screen. I reflected on what I had said after our conversation and learned from the experience to improve moving forward. Improved communication has been such a positive benefit to changing living environments.
Increased consistency with health habits
It’s a lot harder to make up an excuse when it comes to consistency with my healthy habits. If you didn’t already know the habits that allow you to feel your best are simple, it’s the willingness, discipline, and consistency that make it hard. Not at this apartment, not when the gym, sauna, and cold plunge are on the first floor, there are walking paths on the property, and even private workspaces in the lobby. I really can’t come up with an excuse not to move my body or continue with my routines when everything is right at my fingertips. An old excuse I would use to skip the gym was the time it would take to commute there or not wanting to drive. Now, I get in the elevator head down to the first floor, and start my workout. It’s incredible.
Decreased driving and increased time
Speaking of no longer having to commute to the gym or park or even restaurants anymore, I have saved SO much time. We have only been driving once a week to go get groceries, you can imagine how much even 15 minutes adds to your day when you’re not spending it commuting from place to place. During that time saved, Matt and I have had so much fun exploring more of the amenities offered to us.
Less scrolling and improved date nights
Since we have more time and great amenities available to us, we have been doing less scrolling and more date nights. This has been great for our relationship and better use of our time overall, I feel like a kid again living at a hotel and wondering when we have to go home lol. I even catch myself saying, “let’s go back up to the room” instead of acknowledging that it is our actual apartment and we are indeed not at a hotel. We’ve been playing pool, ping pong, basketball, simulation golf, having hot tub nights, and going for post-dinner walks. Truly crazy how much a home environment can change your routines, habits, and mindset surrounding simply living life.
Increased motivation
Last but not least, motivation. The energy in our new apartment and the location of our apartment are unmatched. We are across the street from Scottsdale Quarter and Kierland Commons, these are shopping and dining centers with beautiful landscaping, water fountains, and palm trees. The energy is lovely when you walk over because there are a variety of people, some on vacation, some shopping on their way home from work, and some just like me, taking in the environment. The energy is motivating to keep doing new and exciting things but also the energy at our apartment is motivating as well. There’s a great variety of people here, some families, some young entrepreneurs, some experienced entrepreneurs, and more. It’s motivating to see people of all kinds working on their health, sitting in the conference rooms on a Friday night working on their business or studying for class, seeing families having a meal together outside, or even just people playing with their dogs in the grass areas of the complex. It’s motivating to think outside of the box when I’m feeling bored, anxious, unsure, or frustrated. Typically when I’d have these types of feelings or emotions I’d scroll my phone or turn to a poor habit of “numbing”, not anymore, I just head to the pool or the lobby and get inspired by the environment surrounding me.
More opportunities for new experiences
Okay, last one. Can you even imagine how much more growth I will experience after getting fully settled!? More opportunities have been huge for us. Our apartment offers events every month and although we don’t usually attend every one, they’re so much fun. This past month they had a BINGO night, when was the last time you played bingo? There was an open bar, balloons, prizes, and great conversations. We have only been living in Arizona for less than a year, so these opportunities are really important to me to meet new people and build relationships. As a new business owner, networking is something that my business relies on, these events are a beautiful time to do that.
So there you have it, even without furniture or a completed apartment I’m experiencing change and growth! If you’re in an unhappy place within your life, assess your environment, location, and people you’re surrounded by. Of course, you don’t need to have all of the things mentioned above to be successful with your health habits or to even experience change. On a scale of 1-10, 1 being least satisfied and 10 being completely satisfied, where would you rate your current home environment? What would happen within other aspects of your life if you improved that number? A little self-reflection is key on your holistic health journey and just observe your answers and thoughts. You don’t have to label them as good or bad, you don’t even have to do anything today about your home environment if you scored it at a lower number, but moving forward keep it in mind!
