Most people spend a lot of time at home. It is where we go to disappear from the world to relax, to sleep, and enjoy those creature comforts. But has every home have a sense of positive wellbeing? Many people do not consider how the home can affect their minds, but in fact, it has a huge effect in many different ways. Looking at something unattractive every day, such as an old carpet, shabby walls, peeling paint, etc., can take its toll on your mental health. If you feel as if you could be happier but for some reason cannot pull yourself out of a mood, then maybe sprucing up your living space will help do the trick. Here are a few ways you can use your home to enhance your sense of well-being.
One of the best ways to use the home to boost your mood is to maximize the amount of natural light coming in through the windows. More natural light can help you with seasonal depression. It can improve your sleep patterns too. Sleeping is a key way to help keep your immune system and mind healthy, so anything that helps you do that is necessary. It can also help you save money by not needing to use so many lights during the day. There are many ways to boost the light even if you have small windows. Adding a few mirrors to reflect the light and painting the walls a light color can not only make things brighter but also make it seem larger. Think about having a skylight installed, or maybe swap your curtains for less heavy ones.
A house that is too cold in the winter and too hot in the summer is not going to make you feel happier. You want to try and maintain an ambient temperature. Think about the boiler and having a thermostat installed to help you maintain the right temperature. Also, it may be time to sort out any drafts. Draft excluders under doors can fix a lot of issues, also if you have old windows, why not think about having secondary glazing sash windows. Cavity wall insulation and ensuring your roof has the proper insulation too. In the summer, you may think about a decent air-con system, fans, and ensuring your window is easy to open to maximize the breeze. Keeping house plants can also help you keep the temperature on the straight and narrow. Not only do they look good, but they help keep things cool in warm conditions and warm in cold conditions. They are also effective for purifying the air and enhancing mood.
Having a simple and clean home can enhance your sense of well-being. With less stuff to worry about, you are embracing a more Zen mindset, a more relaxed and accepting mindset. Clutter can make you feel anxious and nervous just by looking at it. If it is cluttered in your bedroom, it can affect your sleep, and sleeping is essential to your immune system and overall health. Clutter can also keep you in the past by constantly reminding you of things that happened years ago and stopping you from moving on and even from having more meaningful relationships. Physical clutter is as much mental clutter as anything else. Getting rid of clutter may not be so easy for everyone. But you can do it. Start small and build up to the larger things. Perhaps do ten minutes a day, or go through a drawer at a time throwing out/donating what you no longer need/us. Once you begin feeling the benefits, you will want to continue.
Take some time to work out if there are any better ways to place all your furniture. Maybe you can even swap rooms over. Sometimes moving the sofa from one side of a room to another can make the space feel completely new and larger, especially if you are moving things in a way that allows more light to enter a space. Why not get the family involved? Get out a tape measure and figure out if there are any better layouts. Maybe have a competition to see who has the best design. You may even feel that there are certain items of furniture you want to get rid of in the remodeling procedure. Sometimes the out with the old in with the new method can really liven up your home and your mind.
DISCLAIMER: This is a collaborative post.
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I’m based in the UK, but collaborate with clients around the globe.
E: loiswaller@btinternet.com
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