How To Be Happy In A Place You Hate

Sometimes life doesn’t turn out quite the way we expected and we find ourselves having to deal with circumstances that are less than favorable. This article will discuss some of the top tips that will help you to have a more positive outlook on your surroundings and will aid you to enjoy life, no matter where you are.

What can you do to be happy in a place you hate?

  1. Change your attitude. Thinking positively will help you to be happier about where you live.
  2. Discover your environment. Explore the world around you and get to know the full potential of the area. Concentrate on the positive things about your environment rather than focusing on the negatives.
  3. Speak to the locals. Ask the locals what hidden gems there are in your town and visit them.
  4. Make friends. No matter where you live, you will always feel negative and lonely if you haven’t got anyone to share your experiences with. Meeting new people and making strong friendships is essential.
  5. Do research. Find out more about the town you are living in and why it became the way it is. Doing research may help you to understand more about the history of the town and its layout.

How Do You Cope With Living In A Place You Hate?

Life doesn’t always pan out the way we would like it to and we may find that we have to put up with living in an area that is not to our taste until our circumstances change. So if you find yourself with no option other than to live in a dark, noisy apartment block in a crummy part of town until you finally get your big break, what can you do to help you cope with your living situation?

You will be glad to know that there are plenty of things that you can do that will help you to see your poky, fifth floor, one-bedroom apartment as your little slice of paradise. Take a look at the following tips that will assist you with completely changing your outlook.

Put Your Stamp On It

Feeling at ease where you are living will become a walk in the park once you begin making your house a home. If you feel comfortable where you live then it will make it so much easier for you to be happy where you are. Even if you are only staying temporarily, try some of these tips that will make you look forward to coming home in the evenings.

  1. Redecorate. Is the color of the walls getting you down? Then why not freshen them up? It is amazing what a couple of coats of paint can do! Even if your place doesn’t look like much on the outside, that doesn’t mean it has to be drab and dreary on the inside too.
  2. Make your space homier. Put a couple of photos up on the walls, place some cozy lamps around the house and buy half a dozen throw pillows for your couch and bed that will make your little nook feel more inviting.

Deep Clean

I am sure you will agree when I say that it is extremely difficult to feel at home when you are forced to be in a place that has not been cleaned to your standards.

If you’re a bit of a germaphobe like me, then the mere thought of looking under the desks at work probably makes the hair on your neck stand up straight. And as for taking a peep behind the staff room fridge, well, you would rather be caught dead then take one step in the direction of that health hazard.

But having these uncomfortable feelings at work is just part and parcel of being in a work environment, I mean, after all, if they made your workspace too cozy then people may never want to leave in the evenings. But you should never feel this way in your home environment because if the place you are living in is unclean then you will never be able to fully relax and unwind.

If your home was left in a bit of an abandoned state by the previous owners, then you no doubt felt like you wanted to hose the place down with bleach before moving your things in. And don’t be afraid to do so! Dedicate the first few weeks after you move in to giving the place a good scrub before you start accommodating all of your things. Once you have cleaned the place and have got it as you like it then you will feel more relaxed in your surroundings.

Here are a few deep cleaning tips that will assist those who have just moved into a new place:

  1. Start with the most important rooms. Prioritize your bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen as these are the most important rooms in the house. Once you have cleaned these areas you can then advance to the other rooms.
  2. Clean before unboxing. If your new place has built-in wardrobes and storage spaces, give these a good clean before unboxing your personal items.
  3. Blitz the bathroom. Not impressed by the state of the bathroom? Try bleaching the bathtub, scrubbing around the taps with white vinegar, and replacing the toilet seat to give it that squeaky clean, homely feeling.

Change Your Attitude

If the neighborhood you are living in isn’t exactly the nicest area in town, the one thing that will without fail make it even worse is your having a negative attitude towards it.

But how can you remain positive while living in a negative area? Here’s what can you do to make a complete 180 with your attitude:

  1. Imagine you are seeing the place for the first time. Take in the beauty of the nature around you and spend time outdoors.
  2. Find out why. Finding out why a place is the way it is can often make us feel more understanding and sympathetic. So, before you write off your town as a complete lost cause, why not look into the history of your area and find out more about the events that have shaped the town over the ages.
  3. Be positive. Ask yourself the following questions:
    1. What do I like about the town?
    2. What is my favorite place to visit?
    3. What have I learned from living here?

Answering these questions sincerely could encourage you to have a more positive outlook on your town and will help you to fix your gaze on its highlights.

  1. Take pictures. Take pictures of some of the nice areas of your town and set them as your cellphone background or on your computer desktop homepage. These will serve as a constant reminder of the beauty there is right around you!
  2. Avoid comparisons. Ok, so maybe the area you were living in before was better, but you should avoid constantly making comparisons as this will cause you to feel more negative about your current situation. Try the following tips:
    1. Replace pictures of your old town and friends with pictures of your new town and new friends. Of course, you don’t have to get rid of your old photos, but having them up on your walls will constantly remind you of how much you preferred the old place.
    2. Instead of comparing the supermarket goods available to you now with the options you used to have, take the opportunity to try new foods and styles of cooking – you may find you like the change!
    3. Limit your visits back to the town you used to live in as this will only make it harder for you to settle in where you are now. Concentrate your efforts on making friends in your new town and getting yourself more acquainted with your new surroundings.
    4. If there is any comfort food that you really cannot live without that is unavailable to you in your new town, then make sure you stock up on it whenever you get the opportunity.

Discover Your Environment

How To Be Happy In A Place You HateEarlier in this article, we discussed some of the practical things you can do if the house you’re living in is getting you down. But what can you do if it’s not your home that’s the problem, rather the area that you live in?

  1. Explore! There will always be something new to learn about your area. Try spending some time outdoors visiting parks and wide-open spaces. If there is a nature reserve where you live, check it out!
  2. Channel your thinking! When out and about exploring, make sure you concentrate on the interesting and positive things you see in your surroundings, rather than thinking about the things you don’t like.

Speak To The Locals

More often than not, we tend to judge a place based on its outward appearance or on comparisons we make with the town we used to live in. But just because your current location doesn’t have that same quaint coffee shop on the corner you are used to visiting, it doesn’t mean that there isn’t anywhere in the city where you can drop in for a decent brew!

If you are stuck for ideas and would like to find out the best places to go for dinner, get your haircut, or even take the dog for a walk, you can always ask the locals. Not only will this help you to widen out and get to know more people, but you may find that the locals are able to show you some hidden gems in the city that may not look like much on the outside but are bursting with atmosphere and character on the inside.

But what if you are shy and aren’t keen on speaking to people you don’t know? – Then there’s always Google! Try searching for interesting places to visit in your area on the internet and read the reviews to find out more about your new neighborhood. You could even glance at the local paper to see where people are hanging out and what spaces you should check out next.

Make Friends

One of the most important things to do when arriving at a new place is to make friends. Making new friends will help you to feel more at home. It’s a good idea to make friends with people that are local to the area as they will be able to show you the best places to visit in your town that will make you feel more positive about where you live.

But what if you are not very confident about making new friends? Here’s what you can do:

  1. Join a gym and interesting clubs. Joining the gym and clubs is a great way to start meeting people with similar interests as you. Make a habit of it and try to visit the gym at the same time each week so that you can heighten your chances of meeting the same people, enabling you to forge friendships faster.
  2. Join an amateur sports team. Whether you are the next gold medal winner or are just happy to make the team doesn’t matter as joining an amateur sports club is a great way to build sportsmanship and get in on a whole new crowd.
  3. Take your dog to the park. Another great way to meet people is to get out and about. Walking your dog through the park is a fantastic way to meet other dog owners and will help you to find common ground with the people you meet. Try walking your dog at the same time each day to help you make solid friendships faster!
  4. Join local Facebook groups. Local Facebook groups will help you to become familiar with some of the people in your community that share the same interests as you. Join a group and then be sure to attend any of their meet-ups so that you can get to know your new friends in person.

Do Research

It is hard to fall in love with a place that you know nothing about. And if the city you are living in doesn’t have any features that jump out at you as attractive, then it could be really tricky for you to feel at home and content where you are.

What can you do to make yourself feel happier in a place that you don’t like?

  1. Be a tourist. Search the internet for some of the best places to visit in your town and make a point of visiting one new place every weekend. Do as you would on holiday and take some photos of pretty buildings, a scrumptious lunch, or something quirky you see that you would like to remember. Make sure you treat yourself to something new while you are out.
  2. Become a historian. Research the town you are living in as if you were to write a novel about it. Find out the history behind the layout of the town. Some features of the town that may seem completely impractical to you, could have quite the intricate story behind them! Try to find out what has given the town its identity. The more you find out, the more interesting it will become!
  3. Find the roots. If you are a bit of an antiques lover and are living in a modern city, then you may find that your city seems boring to you because you are surrounded by modern buildings that seem to lack culture and personality. If that’s the case, then take the time to research and find out where the oldest parts of your town are. Perhaps the town has an old church or an antique building that you can visit that will teach you more about why the area has become more popular.
  4. Visit local museums. Local museums will teach you more about the history of your town and will help you to become better acquainted with it.

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