When the coronavirus started to spread in the U.S. and most college kids were sent home, I was left without my college bedroom’s light and airy vibe and was thrown back into a space that wasn’t me anymore. My room at home was dark gray with one turquoise wall (thanks, middle school Baylee), with posters of bands I don’t even listen to anymore plastered across the walls. Everything was dark and gloomy, dust-covered and old. Within a week back at home, I started to think about the past, I got upset over the things I couldn’t change, and I rediscovered bad habits. I was reverting back into the self I had been in middle and high school, who most definitely isn’t who I am now.
When I realized something needed to change, I went to the closest Home Depot to buy some supplies. I got a couple of tubs of a really light, cool-toned gray paint, some brushes and a tarp, and got to work. It was a cathartic experience to take down the posters and unmount the fixtures hanging from my walls. Before I redid my entire space, I felt like I had to juggle being two different people: one Baylee for home, one Baylee for UCF. When I painted over the dark gray and the turquoise, it was as if I was turning a new page and allowing myself to truly be who I am when I come home from college.
If you’re struggling between getting sucked back into who you used to be and being your true self, that’s okay. Being in your hometown is difficult and can be mentally tolling. The aesthetic you thrive in the most should be what you are surrounded by, no matter if you’re in your own apartment or in your childhood room. Paint over your past, and make your room represent who you are now. You need your environment to grow up with you. The outlandish and loud things we once loved as kids don’t have to stay with us forever — and that’s okay.
Creating a new energy in your living space will ultimately appeal to your new lifestyle, increase your productivity, and bring you more positive thoughts. Even just moving your furniture or getting a new duvet cover can revamp the place you call home. Cute additions to your atmosphere are easy to find, such as in the Target dollar section, TJ Maxx or Five Below. You can easily spice up your space with a hanging plant, some new shelves or new pillow covers. Take this opportunity to challenge yourself and be proud of your new creation, no matter how much or how little you transform your room.