We all know that student homes aren’t exactly the nicest places to live in. There are so many stories battered around the internet about people moving in only to find that they have no mattresses on their beds and the kitchen looks like something out of Ramsey’s ‘Kitchen Nightmares’. And that’s before your slightly *ahem* very untidy housemates get a chance to create havoc.
This combined with the fact that university is a very stressful time, can lead to a fair amount of unhappiness. So, here are a few tips to keep your zen on point, and make sure there are no tearful phone calls back home declaring that you “just hate everything and want to come home”.
Candles
Honestly, not coming back to a bedroom that smells like slightly stale Wotsits and your own alcohol-fuelled hangover misery makes a massive difference. Light some scented candles and your room will be a safe haven of positive smells. Plus if you’re not the greatest at washing clothes regularly it destroys that unpleasant odour too.
Photos
Whether you collage them on a corkboard, or create a mass of them on your wall, photos of good times from both home and university can make your bedroom feel a lot less bland and soulless. Plus, you can cheer yourself up with thoughts of a good day or night out and look forward to the next one.
Have ‘family’ meals with your housemates
Every fortnight, or once a month get together either in the house or at a restaurant to touch base. It’s far too easy for everyone to get wrapped up in their own work and forget to stop being a hermit and socialise. If anyone has any issues they can be discussed here, rather than creating awkward tension.
Take a trip to IKEA
Not only is this a brilliant way to procrastinate, but you can also pick up odds and ends to make your house that bit less dingy and sad-looking. Whether it’s just a throw for your bed, and a couple of bedside table lights, or you go all out on a brand new mirror and chest of drawers, every little helps in terms of sprucing up your student house.
Finally, if there is anything making you unhappy about the house, talk to your housemates and/or landlord about it. If the curtains don’t block out the light (thus making your weekly lie-in fairly traumatic), then speak to someone about buying new ones. Also, despite cleaning up being a horrendously tedious task, coming home to a room in which you trample over 95 percent of your wardrobe and practically all of your notes just to get to your bed is particularly unpleasant. Keeping it clean and tidy will help boost your mood, plus it won’t be such a chore when your parents announce they’re coming up!
How have you made your student house a home? Let us know in the comments below!
Photo: Laura Bittner / Flickr
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