Staying In

Reasons to Love Your ‘Imperfect’ Apartment

Hello FlokqJune 18, 2020

Insecurities can come into different aspects of our lives, be it work, school, or home affairs. For example, having envy at other people’s homes could affect your daily routine, or being a fresh new employee that is living on their wages for the first time to senior employees with a better income. If the insecurity strikes too deeply, especially about the place you are living it, even the coziest of apartments will start to feel uncomfortable.

When you’ve tried to follow how people decorate their apartments and it just still doesn’t feel right, even the old saying ‘don’t compare to yourself and be grateful for what you have,’ is not enough to clear out thoughts that slowly seep into your daydreams. If your apartment’s imperfections bother you to the point where you’re just dying to move out, it’s time to sit down and reflect on the reasons why you shouldn’t think of the ‘imperfections’ of your apartment as a big deal.

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1. Your vision of perfection is flawed

Let’s get to the bottom first: what is it that makes an apartment perfect?

Sometimes (if not most of the time), the fault isn’t in our apartment, but our way of thinking. We get easily influenced just by looking at other people’s seemingly picturesque apartments on Instagram or Pinterest. There’s nothing wrong about daydreaming and making design sketches, but it can be troubling if it takes away all your love for your apartment.

Everything good takes an effort. That extends to the dazzling apartments you see on the internet as well. Owners of those apartments must have taken great lengths to build and maintain their homes. And that’s setting aside the problem of rent and the money they needed to accumulate to be able to pay their unit

The best way to prevent feeling insecure about your apartment is to sit down and think about your ideal apartment and how they play a part in your current situation. For example, if you’re in a studio and wished that you lived in a one-bedroom apartment instead, think about the time and effort it’ll take to clean the entire apartment. Will you be willing to change your cleaning habits to upkeep the extra space?

If something just bothers you about your apartment, but you don’t know what, you may want to list off the issues you have with your current apartment. How serious are these concerns to the point where they impede on your daily activities? Can you address them without sacrificing too much time and effort?

By doing the above, you can ‘brainwash’ yourself into comfortably settling in your current apartment as well as motivate yourself to clear up long-sat issues in one go.

2. It took time and effort to find (and move into) your current apartment

It looks like ‘effort’ will be today’s word of the day. Indeed, you didn’t end up staying in your current crib due to sheer luck (good or bad) alone. You can’t deny that you spent a lot of resources searching for the unit you’re currently sitting in.

We can’t deny that there are cases when tenants, especially beginners in apartment-hunting, slip up and sign on deals that will disappoint them later. If this happened to you, we’re sorry that it happened —but you can move on and learn from their experience. 

And then, there’s the self-deprecating crowd. Being insecure and doubtful of your efforts are human, but not towards everything, especially if you’re facing other things like work and school. Our best advice for the overthinking crowd is to divert your energy elsewhere where your time matters more.

3. Searching for ‘better’ apartments will only stress you out

We can’t stress this enough: moving spaces is not something you do on a whim. Transitioning into a new apartment can impede on your job or studies if you don’t plan well enough. That’s why people prefer to move during holidays or do things slowly over a time stretch. Moving apartments when there’s no urgent reason to (or careful consideration) will only jeopardize your current routine. 

Furthermore, this is where perfectionists should stop wanting to perfect. You might encounter the same or even worse problems when you move to a different apartment. Those problems can also occur when you’ve gone past the preparation stage or when you least expect it to happen. The worst possibility is those problems aren’t something you can’t control (like loud neighbors suddenly moving in next door).

Another recurring theme is when employees with career growth insist on moving to more luxurious apartments because they can. We understand that you’re now able to afford more than you had before, but is moving to a classier apartment to impress friends and family that necessary?

Feel free to improve your living conditions however you want, but always return to our first point: is upgrading your living space what you need most right now? 

4. You made good memories in your apartment

For better or for worse, your current apartment is where you eventually come home to at the end of an exhausting day. Your apartment became your shelter when you needed to get away from the outside world and recover before you gain the power to fight back another day. 

And you need to give credit where credit is due: even among the worst of days, good memories were also born in your apartment.

Whenever you feel down about how shabby your apartment looks compared to others’, always look back on the good times you spent along the way. Turn them into memories that you probably won’t get anywhere else.

Alternatively, make even more memories starting today. Indulge in the little things that will help you settle in even when things don’t look promising. If your apartment feels dreary, lighten up with vibrant greens or add decorations in your favorite colors. If you often feel lonely in your environment, invite friends for sleepovers, or even consider looking for a roommate! 

In the end, an apartment is as good as its tenants want it to be. Patch up stuff wherever and whenever you need to, but don’t go for things you can’t afford (yet). Be mindful of your current state, and always be thankful for what you have achieved. 

read more Biggest Mistakes To Avoid When Apartment Hunting