I've had had five major bedrooms in my life. 1. My very first bedroom (which I don’t remember) 2. My childhood to teenage bedroom (can I get a yikes?) 3. My room in halls (I used to clean the bathroom floor with lemon-scented hand wipes) 4. My university flat bedroom (Jesus H Christ) and 5. My bedroom in London, which I am in right now.
Number two was where I would spend an inordinate amount of time crying to Bon Iver and imagining I was in a very dramatic, slow-mo music video. This was an ‘I’m going to plaster every wall with all my emotions so you know exactly what I’m feeling’ phase. Horrific. Then when I moved to Edinburgh my room clashed with my life. Pros I had a pinboard, cons everything else. Annnddd shock I’m not even going to waste breath on where I lived after first year.
Screeching in at number five is my current bedroom with a view that I spent 40 minutes looking at today. I'm choosing to ignore the wonky window frame, the hole in the ceiling where the light fixture is missing a screw and the slightly raised staples in the floorboards that nearly ripped my favourite trousers, to tell you that I love this room. It is exactly how I dreamt it would be besides a few minor cosmetic hiccups. I have the Ikea bedside table that also functions as a tray and my extra bedsheets, once folded, act as a feature in the corner of the room. My most frequently worn shoes are all on display and my favourite books are ordered by height, from largest to smallest.
However, as we’ve all had to adjust to life in lockdown, this space has evolved to become an at-home gym, my break room and an oasis from the other communal areas in the flat. Consequently, I've found that it's important to ensure that my bedroom feels like a totally different place. I don't eat in here and I use my desk to apply my makeup, that's about it. I make my bed every morning and keep my room as tidy as I can, hoovering regularly because it gets super, super dusty. Keeping this space clean and neat helps it feel like a nice room to walk into at the end of the day and not somewhere that I've spent too much time in. This all sounds a bit boring but it has helped with the adjustment as our flat, in general, is quite small. When I work out I clear the space next to my bed and I tend to lay directly on the floorboards, using my rug or a towel for comfort. Obviously, this probably isn't a very good idea, but as a temporary fix, I get along fine. I can use my desk chair as a sort of platform sometimes and I'm able to carry out most of my usual workouts without weights (gains lost? zero... haha just kidding).
Other bits:
- My flatmate Jules sent me this link where she writes a letter to herself every year. You can set it for every 1, 3 or 5 years or choose a specific date to receive it and she sends one to herself each birthday. At a time like this, I think it’s really important to document how you're feeling and what you want to achieve so you can look back on it and remember how far you’ve come. I’m going to do this.
- I’ve started watching the Walking Dead and it’s so stressful
- Never Dance Alone (Feat. Ladyhawke) by Crooked Colours makes me feel 4000x better about life right now.
Bye for now,
Lauren x
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