What is your living situation? How do you make your home as "trigger free" and as "stress free" as possible?

As I mentioned a short while back, I'm looking into getting myself an apartment within the next 6 months, give or take. I'm shooting for a 2 bedroom apartment at a complex that accepts pets. I'm currently living with my parents, so this will be the first time I leave my parents' house (besides for when I went to college from 2009-2015). I'm single, so the apartment will be just for me... but I want a 2nd bedroom or a den so that I can have a home office (since I can work from home).

Any advice? I'll probably be at least 30 mins away from my parents' house if I go with the complex I've been looking at, and IDK if I'll have to get a new therapist and/or pdoc. Depends if I can handle the commute.

[boogiesmash]

My home is full of triggers; cleanliness, how my living room is setup and the couch which is accumulating junk. Before I slipped into this I had weekly routines. If I were off Monday I'd clean the whole apartment. Which by the way didn't take long since it is cleaned weekly. My next cleaning day would be Friday and then next Thursday (I work a "Pittman" schedule). And do laundry once a week (past few months was adhering to doing it very other month.

[Moose72]

Congrats on getting your own place! I finally did after living with my mom for 10 years with my kids. It's wonderful.

[Sunflower123]

Sounds like you are moving forward. That's great. I hope the apartment works out for you.

[laracroft3]

I'm rooming for now, paying half the rent. I would love to move out asap but I have to work harder with my savings. Luckily it's not absolutely terrible.

As far as triggers go, I make sure to have distractions if need be - games, books, shows, painting, making music, etc. I make sure to have something to handle stress. Say my roommate is playing love songs and I just came out of a breakup I would just play an action game loud.
Something to combat whatever triggers you needs to be ON HAND.
All the time.

[Wander]

Good luck with the move. I think you will find it both liberating and stressful as you adjust. As of triggers I do all I can to avoid stressful people, exercise, do fun things and find my own routine. I also live in a 2 bedroom flat and it is enough for me. Unfortunately, I can't have pets, which I would love but I cannot afford a place that allows them. Most importantly, be yourself and get comfortable in your own skin. I find that reduces triggers a lot.

[5150DirtDiva]

Congrats! I feel like when I lived alone triggers were dramatically less.

I set up my rent/tv/internet to be paid automatically. T utility bills, paid they day I received them. I have a difficult time remembering to pay bills.

But I could invite people over, or not. If I did not want someone there, I could ask them to leave.

I am a neat freak, so everything was the way I liked it. If you are not a neat freak, no one can tell you crap about it.

Once you fall into your routine, that is set by you and YOUR needs and no one else's you will be golden.

It is the best feeling to be able to relax in your own place without being made to feel like an extended guest. Even with roommates I did not feel it was MY place. You cannot truly relax that way.

There is a constant worry about my living situation and ability to maintain it. I am on government disability and have the constant worry I for some reason will be cut-off. This is such an ever present stress point for me that I don't relax until the deposit is in my bank and my rent and bills have been paid. Then comes the re-building of anxiety until the point I am panicking again worried that my cheque might not come.

And now I have every reason to worry. I have put in motion plans to move down to my boyfriend's city and in with him. I made these plans based upon the advice of my case worker. But I now have a new one who in turn has told me I will be denied assistance after all. panic Panic PANIC

[99fairies]

I live in a small house with my husband and 3 kids. It's my safe haven. The kids are loud and messy but I wouldn't trade them for anything. I feel safe at home.

[Wild Coyote]

It's much easier to set-up a trigger-free home environment if living alone or with another very compatible person. (For some people, living alone may serve as a trigger.)

Be very mindful of the neighborhood: the noise, the nearby interstate highways and/or truck routes, the police reports. When I used to hunt for apartments, I'd check the address with the police and was almost always shocked with the police reports; this method saved me a ton of money and stress.

I need to give this a bit more thought.

A great question, by the way!


WC

[Cocosurviving]

Me and my daughter use to live with my grandmother. It was hell on earth. All she did was nag about anything. I moved out two years ago and into an apartment complex in the city and full of kids. Big mistake....the kids were loud and outside until dark. I moved outside the city and love it. There is a lake right next to my apartment. Also I picked a complex that only has one and two bedrooms. If you live where there are three bed the more likely the complex will have lots of kids. I have to have peace and quiet. I have access to a 24 hour fitness center. We can have pets. I have a therapy dog. There is also a doggie park for residence. We have a golf course that we can join. I've been here since Jan 2017 and I'm happy