I always get a little nostalgic around this time of year. The oppressive verdant heat reminds me of high school and college band camp. The back-to-school displays in stores remind me of the excitement of getting back in the classroom. (I was a weird kid, don’t question it.) The music on the radio, wrapped in late-summer haze, reminds me of that first summer my partner and I were married.

I used to think it was odd that I associate this time of year with nesting, but it makes sense to me now. It was this time of year when my partner and I started living and making a home together; when we moved to a new city for my first job; the time every year I returned to college and started making my dorm room my own.

Moving to a new space – whether it’s a dorm room, an apartment, a city – can be overwhelming and isolating if that space doesn’t feel like your own. Luckily, there are a couple of simple (and cheap!) little things you can do transform those spaces into your safety nests, whether you’re staying there for three weeks or thirty years.

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A Way to Play Music

I don’t know about you, but I’m practically always listening to music, whether I’m working, making dinner, cleaning, or just killing time laying about in my pajamas.

The first thing I do when I enter a space – surely, the first thing I did whenever I moved into a dorm – is to play my favorite music. (Pro tip: This is a great way to meet cool people who like the same music as you in your dorm. You’re welcome.) The quickest and easiest way to make your room feel like home for you is to fill it with your favorite music.