"Some people look for a beautiful place. Others make a beautiful place."
– Hazrat Inayat Khan
Our home environment has more power over health and wellness than we think. The simplest things can be a source of tension and stress or peace and tranquility, and it doesn't take much to create these overall feelings in the place we call home. Whether you are spending more time at home than ever due to work from home orders, or minimal time with constant demands of work and family, your home should be that safe place to land, relax, recover, and enjoy with those essential people in your life.
Intentionally preparing your home for more peace, calm, joy, and happiness doesn't need to break the bank or take weeks to months of massive renovations to create. Some of the most straightforward actions can begin transforming the space you call home into a cheerful health-benefiting oasis that brings more joy, happiness, and optimism into your life. It starts with taking a moment to be aware of how you feel at home, a desire to improve it, and the ability to create it with a few simple updates. With time and minimal effort, you can boost happiness in all pillars of better health through a slight shift in your environment.
Here are a few simple things you can start doing to lay the foundations of a happier life through creating a more comfortable home:
Clear the clutter
Clutter contributes to anxiety, depression, and feelings of overwhelm. I have personally experienced the underlying stress caused by unaddressed piles of stuff sitting around my home office. Once I've hit my limit and decide to clear the clutter, I break it down into a minimal commitment of 10 minutes each day to sort through and put things where they belong. I receive a sense of accomplishment and stress relief every 10 minutes I spend cleaning up my space. It is crazy how visual clutter can affect my sense of happiness, and I know I am not alone.
I typically make a checklist of areas that need cleaning out, choose one location from the list every day, schedule it in my planner, and do it. Although the most challenging part of this may be starting, once I start with 10 minutes every day, I find myself getting into a grove and riding the wave of momentum, which often enables me to spend a weekend just tackling it all.
Update your bedroom environment
Although you don't spend much time here, your bedroom is an essential room in the house because it is where you start and end your day. As you've already learned, morning routines are vital for setting the tone for the rest of your day, and evening routines are necessary for winding down, relieving stress, and preparing for a restful sleep. A simple bedroom update doesn't need to break the bank either. Inexpensive thrift store purchases will set up your bedroom as a mood-making sanctuary and boost your happy hormones all day long.
Treasure finds such as a couple of colorful pillows, bedside lamps with calming ambient lighting, and a few lavender candles (if there are no little kids or pets to knock them over) can solicit a restful environment. Draw the curtains to create a dark room for sleeping.
In the morning, open your curtains to let the natural morning light steam into the room. There are proven happy hormone effects of morning light and its positive contribution to our circadian rhythm (physical, mental, and behavior changes following a 24-hour cycle that responds to light and dark).
The overall theme to a peaceful environment in your bedroom is to remove as much noise (tv) and distractions (cell phones and bright light) as possible. Then add a few simple essentials to encourage a better night's sleep and an inspiring morning routine that supports more happiness in your life.
Showcase memorable and joyful times in your life
Throughout other rooms in your home, display items that bring you joy, such as family photos, a pop of your favorite color, and must-have items that "speak to you" and lift your spirits.
The walls are soft grey in my office, the furniture is dark espresso, and the pull-out sofa bed has a subtle white and grey pattern. Pretty simple and a bit plain, but by adding a tiny bit of red throughout the space, such as a few red candles, pillow and throw on the sofa bed, and a small red wreath I found at Target on the closet door, brightens up the space and adds energy to an otherwise dull room.
Get outside or bring the outdoors in
Getting outside, especially in the morning, is a great way to reconnect with nature and enjoy the mental and emotional health benefits. If you live in a warm climate (lucky you), take advantage of the great weather and step outside in the morning. You can also bring the outdoors in by setting up a bird feeder or birdbath and observing nature from the comforts of your home. Open the curtains and let the natural light stream into your home. I love to watch the various cast of colors enter the house throughout the day. My favorite is early morning as the light streams down the hallway and the low, warm lighting at dusk.
Set an environment of calm
Everyone who knows me knows that I'm not a fan of overhead lighting. I prefer the subtle and gentle lighting from side lamps, natural light streaming through open windows, and candlelight. Although you may not be as sensitive to lighting as I am, try to give a softer warm glow in the evening and observe how it makes you feel. If you feel a sense of peace and calm, perhaps it may be an intentional practice you put into play to create a sense of peacefulness in your evening routine.
It is incredible how we don't even realize the many things in our home environment that create an underlying hum of stress and anxiety. These underlying stressors can build irritability and an overall sour mood throughout the day because our brain can't seem to catch a break and think. Try some of these intentional noise-canceling ideas and see how they make you feel:
Turn off the continual chatter of the TV and play some of your favorite music softly. Voice-activated assistance such as Alexa and premade genres specific playlists offered through iTunes and Spotify make this very easy to do.
Fill the room with familiar and soothing smells with fresh cut flowers, scented candles, and essential oil humidifiers.
If you live in warmer climates and away from big cities, open a window and let the calming smells and sounds of nature stream into your home. If you live in a big city and are energized by its sounds, open your inner world to the outer shield and allow these motivating sounds to filter into your apartment.
There is no right or wrong way to include more happiness into your living space, but only what works for you. We are all different in personal preferences, likes, and dislikes, and how we create a sense of peace and joy for ourselves. The main message here is to take a moment to think about how you can make a few changes to various lifestyle habits and unique living environments that will purposefully add more joy and happiness to your everyday life.
Scroll down to the comment section below and the many ways you create a happy home. If you enjoyed this post, pass it along to your friends and family and help them build a more joyful home environment!
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