Home Comforts

I love my home comforts.  I rely on them and cherish them.  My home comforts get me through a tough day at work, they help me to relax and to feel refreshed for the next challenge.  I’m someone who puts effort into relaxing – I really try to get it right…  And so I think home comforts are an absolute must-have for anyone.  For those of you who, like me, need help to relax, here are the things that most help me to chill out…

Loungewear

My husband teases me about my loungewear.  As soon as I get home from work (or church, or shopping, or meeting friends, or anything really), the first thing I do is dash upstairs and change into my PJs or my “lounge trousers”.  Loungewear is a wonderful, wonderful thing.  It’s soft, warm, unrestrictive, completely comfortable.  It is a physical reminder that I’m at home and can relax a little.  Wearing loungewear means any visitors are close friends and you’ve decided not to go out into the rain for a little while.

Baths

I’m a big fan of the bath.  Actually, I’m a big fan of the “shower-bath”.  That’s when I wash my hair in the shower, then pin it up out of the way for a while so that I can have a bath straight afterwards.  I can relax in the bath because I’ve had my shower already, and my hair can (very, very gradually) start drying, while I read my book.  Baths are best with candles and bubbles, but any bath (the hotter the better) is a good way to switch off.  It’s also the best place for some “me time”.

Netflix and Chill

No, as in actually watching Netflix (or Prime) and chilling out…  My husband and I love to find a trashy TV show to binge watch.  Something that isn’t too dramatic, makes us laugh, and can be switched off or resumed mid-episode.  And of course the wonderful thing about “modern” technology is that you can start watching it in the sitting room, curled up under a big fluffy blanket, and finish off watching it on the tablet in a hot bath, or curled up under the covers in bed.

Lindt and Emergency Pizza

Lindt Excellence Dark Chocolate with Sea Salt – that’s my guilty pleasure.  Most evenings, I’ll have a square or 2 of my favourite chocolate, meeting my “need” for something sweet after dinner.  There’s always plenty in the house, and it’s a little bit of luxury after a healthy meal.  We also usually have “emergency pizza” in the fridge or freezer.  You know the evenings – you get in from work late, too tired to put any effort into cooking and pretty sure that if there isn’t something easy in the house, you’ll be ordering in.  Emergency pizza might not be the healthiest, but it’s a lot better (and cheaper) than most take-aways.  It takes the pressure off too!

My Bed

This is the big one (literally).  Nothing is more important, as far as home comforts go, than my bed.  When we bought the bed, it seemed extravagant.  Super king, memory foam (mattress and pillow), 600 thread count cotton sheets.  Over the years we’ve spent a fair bit of money on our bed.  And it is so worth it.  I need my sleep, plus my favourite place to read is in bed.  Climbing into bed in the evening, knowing I have an hour or so before I need to go to sleep and so I can forget the world for a little while and read my book tucked up in bed – that’s a perfect moment.

I’d encourage everyone to spend some time getting their home set up so that it relaxes them.  If you’ve read “How to live with a software developer” then you’ll know we have some rules in our home that might seem a little odd or over-the-top.  But they help to make home feel peaceful as well, because they cause everything to work as it should.  Routines that mean the chores get done, habits that mean there is always hot water or we never run out of the essentials, a husband who really “lives” the idea of continuous improvement around the house – these things mean that our home is a truly pleasant place to be.

I’ve probably given you the impression that I rarely leave the house and spend all day in bed…  But the truth is I’m out and about a lot – I work long hours, I spend a lot of time involved in church commitments, and I love to go walking or spending time with my amazing friends.  So because I’m not there all the time, my home comforts are really important when I am at home.  They help home to feel like home.  And that helps me to feel like me.