In this thesis, I researched homes as restorative environments and what hinders neurodivergent people from experiencing homes as restorative environments. One context, when the home becomes a container of chaos rather than a restorative environment, is the process of leaving home. This thesis emancipated some of the reasons why the process of leaving home escalates into chaos. The aim of this study was to enhance the knowledge related to restorative environment design in a holistic way.

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I chose this topic because I wanted to explore opportunities that I as a designer could add to this discussion of designing solutions for restorative homes. I personally have had a special interest in improving homes and their role in our wellbeing. Also, the mental health problems have increased in Finland even though Finland has been the happiest country for multiple years in according to World Happiness Report. COVID-19 pandemic partly worsened the situation and highlighted the importance of homes for our lives. Therefore, in today's world, the need for restorative environments, especially homes, has increased.

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The research question in this thesis was: what happens in the person’s inner world when the process of leaving home escalates into chaos and prevents them from experiencing home as a restorative environment? The research answered this question with autoethnographic and ethnographic research. I chose to study this phenomenon through autoethnographic research, because I as a researcher have personal experience on the chaotic process of leaving home. To gain wider understanding and make sure that the research was not too subjective I also used ethnography as a research method. The data was collected through five semi-structured interviews, observations, spontaneous discussions about the topic, and my own reflections. The data was analyzed through thematic analysis.

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The study resulted in a collection of six mindsets. Those mindsets are full lifer, preparer, extreme risk mitigator, time optimizer, resource optimizer, and analyst. These mindsets may be present in people’s lives and be highlighted in the process of leaving home. If these mindsets do not work together and/or one of them becomes too rigid, the process starts to escalate into chaos. This research also identified some symptoms that may also emerge in the process of leaving and further complicate the flow.

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This study suggests that becoming aware of these mindsets is the first step to improvement. There are also strategies to reduce chaos such as a moment of silence, having a clear goal and principles, and talking out loud. Further improvements can be achieved through deepening self-awareness.

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Keywords: restorative, home, neurodivergent, experience, process, chaos