Much of our time is spent at home going through our daily routines, creating memories, marking milestones, and many of us now work from home. The question is are we at home when we're home? No matter where one lives, I believe our home environments can impact our mental health and overall well-being. Our motivation, mood and stress levels are all affected by the spaces we call home. If you're space is causing you a bit of stress, we came up with five simple and effective ideas you can incorporate to support a happy, healthy home.
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Natural Light: Natural light can improve your mood, energy levels and creativity. Pull your curtains and blinds open to flood your space with as much natural light as possible. If you work from home, try moving your workspace next to a natural light source to benefit from its effects. If you lack natural light, try painting your space a crisp white, decorate with lighter colored furniture and decorative elements, and incorporate natural materials. |
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Use Your Good Stuff: If you have a beautiful set of dishes, mugs, linens, or anything that you have kept packed away for fear of it being damaged or worse, here is your permission to go ahead and use those things for their intended purpose. Precious items elevate your home, hold special stories, and bring joy to everyday experiences. In my opinion, the "risk" of something happening to an item is well worth the enjoyment it provides to you and your home. |
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Declutter: A cluttered home can cause feelings of anxiety, lower quality of life, and decrease our ability to focus. Try decluttering one space at a time on a daily basis for a predetermined amount of time to reduce any feelings of overwhelm and build on small victories. To keep clutter at bay, adopt the one in one out rule, and only keep the things you truly love, need, find to be practical, and reasonably sentimental. |
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Add Life: No matter which you choose to bring into your home, plants, flowers, succulents, etc. have a calming effect that can reduce stress and bring an overall feeling of peace. If you don't have the time or inclination to care for plants, there are many low-maintenance varieties that have the same benefits. My favorites are the peace lily, snake plant, and spider plant. |
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Intentional Decor: It can be very easy to fill our homes with a bunch of decor that lacks sentimental meaning, does not reflect our values, or falls short of creating the aesthetic we desire. Instead of shopping just to shop, be very intentional about what you items you allow to take up real estate in your home. This means buying less, buying well, and only inviting items into your home that bring you joy. Shop from businesses that align with your values, support local, and thrift to find high-quality special treasures. We hope you found value in this post as you work towards creating a peaceful living space. |
