Dorm Room Decorating Obsession = Anxiety
Dorm Room shopping is exciting, but it can make you feel CRAZYYYY!
It seems like there are 67 gazillion trinkets and "best ofs" and "you HAVE to get this ONE thing" and "stock is LOW" messages all over social media.
Oh, and Prime Week in July is perfectly timed for this chaos, so there's that.
I 100% understand your anxiety because I was in your shoes last year as we prepped our son to head to college.
The problem was, he could not have cared less about his dorm room.
Being the most unbothered human ever created, he kept shrugging is shoulders and would say, "Mom, I'll be fine. It's just a room."
Ugh, what did he mean "it's just a room!'
It's your home for two semesters! Don't you want to feel comfortable and clean and organized?
I obsessed.
He didn't worry about it.
One day, he said, "why can't we let this be easy?"
BOOM, another dinger.
That boy can drop truth bombs that stop me in my tracks and teach me to live in the moment and to stop obsessing.
So, I changed my outlook, and it made our lives SO MUCH EASIER.
Girls, don't fall for the hype.
The whole dorm-prepping machine IS, well, a machine.
It's a lucrative, stress-inducing marketing scheme that has moms anxiously clicking "add to cart" at 3 am and girls desperately forwarding sites to their parents to "buy NOW!
Moms are feeling the ache of letting go and are willing to purchase ANYthing to make their kids feel comfortable.
The product-pushers are basically zeroing in on the most emotion-inducing transition of a family's life and making millions.
It's really eye-opening if you look at it from that perspective.
Girls are following influencers who spend thousands for matching pillow shams and comforters and lamps that are nicer than my living room lamps.
It's college, y'all.
You've got your WHOLE LIVES to be grown-ups with fancy stuff, if that's your thing.
I'm not disagreeing that we make it comfortable and organized.
I'm advocating for stepping back and seeing the big picture.
Let's take this approach: let it be easy.
Let's simplify our approach so we aren't itching with anxiety every time we think we didn't get the right over-the-fridge organizer, and now we might just in fact perish.
If this is your year to head to the dorm, don't forget that you are moving into a teeny tiny space.
Your main objective is to create a space that is liveable and realistic (are crisp, white pillows shams with your monogram going to stay that white?)
This is the space where you need to accomplish these simple essentials:
Sleep
Study
Relax & hang out
Clean yourself
Eat.
That's it.
There is literally no room for anything else.
Here are my top three dorm essentials.
Mattress Topper: your dorm mattress will give off prison vibes, so you need something to make it more comfortable.
Standard Sized Trashcan with Lid: you need one that holds a standard trash bag (31 gallons). Trust me. You'll throw away so much more than you think you will and the lid keeps the stinkiness at bay for a little longer. Smaller trashcans = taking out the trash all the time.
Fan: A personal fan that is loud enough to drown out your roommate's noisy sleeping and other dorm noises which will distract you from studying. Your room will feel stuffy and the oscillating air is nice (some dorms get crazy hot when the heat is turned on and some are just stale feeling). Your fan will be your bestie.
Extra Credit: Noise-Cancelling Headphones or AirPods. If you are easily distracted, then noise-cancelling is a must for studying and locking in. Headphones are a signal that you are busy, so they are a great tool to communicate that you don't want to be bothered. Your choice which is best for you.
Nothing fancy.
Just essentials.
Let it be easy!
Here's the bottom line: You've got this. 🩷
Your side of the room is going to be YOURS and you know what you need to be comfortable.
It will be enough, I promise.
Don't fall for the anxiety-inducing marketers who are basically begging you to buy from THEIR Amazon link because they get a percentage of the money you spend.
Learn to be a savvy shopper! I'm proud of you already!
Follow me @suzannehannacoaching on Instagram for college tips made with lots of love!
