Find out which changes you can make to your home to boost your mental health day to day.
Mental health decline across the country has continued for many people, as the pandemic challenges the way of life we all knew as normal before.
For that reason, it is more important than ever before to make sure your home – the place you spend more time than ever – is as supportive and nourishing as it can be. There are lots of changes you can make to your home that make it more of a supportive and helpful environment for your mind and your body and here are 10 suggestions for you to try:
- Declutter For A Tidy Mind
Decluttering is known to be great for your mind. Living in a home full of stuff that isn’t organised can be chaos, which can also reflect how we feel inside. Decluttering is a way to regain control over your environment, and to create a bit of space and calm, where we might be feeling anything but that in other areas of our lives.
- A Home Office For Better Work/ Life Balance
Adding a home office can be a really great way to stop work seeping into our personal lives, or vice versa if you struggle to focus when you work from home. Clearing that spare room and popping the contents into inexpensive self storage means you can dedicate a space to work, and then walk away, close that door and take a breather in other parts of your house.
- A Healthier Kitchen
A lot of documentaries, studies, doctors and mental health professionals talk about how what we eat has an impact on how we feel. A bit more fruit and veg, more filtered water, herbal teas and fresh ingredients for wholefood cooking makes for a much healthier kitchen, and maybe, a healthier mind.
- A Better Bedroom
Sleep is so impactful on our waking life, so a bedroom that supports a healthy sleeping pattern is really important for your mental health. It should be cool, dark, free from technology and comfortable, for the best possible nights sleep.
- A Gorgeous Garden
If you have any outdoor space at all, it should be treasured as your own little slice of nature. From an ant carrying a crumb, to a new fern frond unfurling, there’s magic to be found in your outdoor space, which can be an incredible distraction from bigger problems elsewhere.
- Pampered Pets
Lots of people have relied on their pets throughout this pandemic for support and comfort. Why not give your pet an upgraded bed, or snazzy litter area? Caring for our fur babies can sometimes feel like a roundabout way of caring for ourselves.
- Function & Organisation For An Easier Life
Overall function and organisation of a home is so helpful when your mind feels chaotic. Dealing with the homes function is more focused than just decluttering, and is more of an overall overhaul of how things work. So, if you want to have a deeper switch around in your home, this could be the kind of project to consider.
- Clean Air
Ventilation is so important when it comes to your mental health. Air quality issues can cause all kinds of health problems, and at the very least, a stuffy house is never any fun to be in. Keep those windows open, deal with any mould problems when they happen, and open those curtains everyday – your home will feel fresher and cleaner as a result.
- Decor You Love
You shouldn’t be looking at the colours and patterns in your home and feeling drab or lack lustre as a result. They should make you feel happy, invigorated, calm, or stimulated, depending on the room. If your decor doesn’t do it for you, start thinking about a change-up, for an aesthetic you really love.
- Sacred Space
A sacred space is a space in your home you can go to, to truly feel safe and relaxed. It could be a window seat with blankets and books, it could be a summerhouse with a comfy chair, it could even be your bed full of cushions. Everybody should have a sacred space in their home they can go to when they need it.
The tips above are just some ideas to help you feel more supported with your mental health. As a preventative, alongside exercise and a healthy diet, a healthy home is important. It is also important to feel safe and comfortable in your home if you are going through therapy and deeper mental health problems.
Seek out small changes, and gain big results, for a home that truly helps you to feel better day to day.