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Raise your hand if you’ve fallen victim to whatever the newest, trendiest aesthetic is every season 🙋🏻♀️
I’m constantly spending too much time and money shopping for the latest trends. By the time I finally achieve an aesthetic, TikTok is already onto the next. As a college student, it’s just not realistic to change the entire vibe of my apartment every season (minus the Halloween and Christmas decor, of course). What I’ve realized after a lot of self-exploration is that I didn’t even like most of those aesthetics-I just wanted to be perceived as cool. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve walked through a store and picked up things that I loved, then put them back because social media told me it was “cringe” or “cheugy.” I’ve recently started challenging that thought and buying what I truly love, regardless of if it fits a minimal, clean aesthetic or is “cringey” for a 20-something year old to own.
Through this process, I’ve been healing my inner child. It turns out that I’ve been chasing trends since I was in middle school and denying that little version of me the things that actually expressed her truest self. By doing that, I lost my truest self. So I’m winning her back with adorable home décor that makes me smile every time I enter my room and makes me feel like me-not some girl on the internet. This has been the easiest step for me to start healing because I’m able to give little me everything she ever wanted. I’m finally becoming who she dreamed of many years ago.
I urge you to do the same by starting with something that you picked up because it was cute, but put back because of what someone else might think of you. It may seem silly, but the healing power of taking one small step closer to living in alignment with yourself is huge. Here are some of the best pieces I’ve added to my collection lately:
- STUFFED ANIMALS
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I always thought that adults with stuffed animals were cringey, because that’s what the internet taught me. Yet every time I walk into Target, you will catch me making a detour through the Squishmallows aisle and hugging every. single. one. of. them. They soothe my soul and they’re adorable, so I finally gave in and got my very first Squishmallow. 10/10 would recommend giant stuffed animals that give better hugs than any human I know.
- SCHOOL SUPPLIES
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Okay, I know this isn’t home décor… but my notebooks are always on my desk, so it certainly feels like it. This year, despite it being my first year of grad school, I wanted to have school supplies that I thought were cute and I actually wanted to use. So I went to the section in Target that’s typically for elementary schoolers and I bought every notebook with a dinosaur on it, matching notecards, and a pink pencil case. I would usually go for your plain black supplies that are boring AF-this was so much more fun.
- FUNKY LAMPS
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I originally bought an IKEA mushroom lamp as a gateway to this process. It was the first thing I bought after making this decision. I picked it up and said, “I love this, but it’s not my vibe”. RED FLAG. After that, I discovered an obsession with adorable lamps and have since added a ton to my Amazon list. You will find a fun lamp in every room of my house soon.
- QUIRKY BATH MATS
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This guy is still in my cart, but when payday rolls around, this will be mine. I want these everywhere in my house, just a bunch of cute animals and food items that I would have NEVER thought of buying in a million years because they look like they belong in a child’s bedroom. Well, this child at heart has been ecstatic about the very thought of this purchase for weeks. I can’t wait to see this every day in my home.