Growing up, My mom made her bed every.single.day. As soon as she was up and going, her bed was made. It didn’t matter if we were at home, visiting family, or staying at a hotel, you could insure that my mom would have the beds made. She also did lots of other little things, that seemed meaningless to me and being totally honest, I never really got it. In fact, I gave my mom a hard time about making my bed (and all the other little things) far longer than I would like to admit.
 

 
I’ve shared before, about my struggle with PostPartum Depression and Anxiety. Being a mom didn’t come as easily to me as I expected and I am a very different mother than I ever thought I would be (and that’s a post for another day). Through my journey of healing from that, I have discovered that the little things DO make a huge difference and I can appreciate my mom showing me that, even if it took my 29 years to figure it out. After working through a especially tough spot with my anxiety this summer, I decided to challenge myself to make my bed every day for 1 month.
 

 
So what changed when I started making my bed every day?
If I am being completely honest, at first nothing changed.
I was doing it just “because”. And it was hard at first, I didn’t get it made every day. I found that if I didn’t make right when I got out for the morning, it was hard to get back in there and make it.
As the days went on, I started noticing changes. My husband, who is really amazing and NEVER pesters or asks me why things are not done or clean, started thanking me for making the bed. He said it was so nice to come home to that, after a long day.
Now, this may not seem like a big deal, but him noticing it was everything to me. Not only did the recognition feel good, but it made me feel good to do something to make his days even just a little bit better.

After just a couple of days preschooler started WANTING to make his bed! Now, he even asks to help make my bed everyday. I don’t know how long that excitement will last, but I am sure soaking it up while its here.
After the first weeks, I started feeling like my day wasn’t really started, if I didn’t make the bed.
It became something I was really proud of. And even on really bad days, where I got nothing else done and wanted to pull my hair out, at least the bed was made. I didn’t even realize, how much having a messy bed was feeding into my anxieties, but now that I have the opposite, I am frustrated I did not do it sooner!

When I was a teenager, and even young adult, my argument was always that it was pointless to make the bed, because you will just mess it back up. But after my month of making the bed, I have come to love folding back the sheets and getting in my made bed. Annnnnd now I sound like my mom, I know, I know.
 
So now that the month is over, will I keep making my bed? 
Yes.  Absolutely. You better believe it!!
Its been said it takes 21 days of doing something to make it a habit, and that has definitely been the case for me, with this. Now, I don’t even have to think about it. Once I am awake and we are out of the bed, I just make it.
And in just 5 minutes, I feel like my day gets off to a great start. And its such a nice reminder, when I walk past my room in the middle of the day, that I am making a conscious effort to do something for ME, and that feels good.

Do you make your bed every day? If not, I want to challenge you to try it, and let me know if it makes as big of an impact in your day, as it has in mine.
If you already do this each morning, what is something you would like to try to get in the habit of doing?