Having a happy home is good for your health–which may be why 73% of people that are happy with their home are happy with their life. Coming home after a long workday or stressful day of running errands should uplift your mood, relax you, and spark joy in you.
Use these six tips below to help bring positivity into your home:
Allow in Natural Light
Getting sunlight is vital to your health (you should be getting at least 30 minutes of natural sunlight a day), so if your space allows, you should try to soak in some rays while you’re at home.
Open up your windows on a sunny day to let the natural rays light up your space. You can also install window filters that allow you to get sunlight without compromising your privacy.
Other tricks include using large mirrors in dim rooms to help reflect more light, and installing daylight-tinted bulbs in your space to boost your productivity (this is especially helpful in an office and kitchen setting!)
Go Green
Take steps to create a space that is good for the environment and for your health. Grow herbs in your kitchen so you always have fresh greens to cook with. Reduce your plastic usage by replacing bottled water with reusable ones and purchasing a water filtration system.
You should also fill your space with houseplants, which both improve your air quality and add aesthetic appeal. Some low maintenance plants that require simple care include Pothos Ivy and Aloe.
Use scent
Your sense of smell is the strongest of your senses when it comes to eliciting memories and emotions. Find a scent that brings back happy memories and incorporate it into your household. Candles are a great way to fill a room full of scent: we recommend light floral or vanilla-scented if you don’t already have a flavor in mind.
You can also use aromatherapy kitchen soap, scented bath bombs, and a scented plug-in in your bedroom.
Decorate
Make your house feel more like a home by adding pops of color and meaningful decor that will boost your mood.
Personalized decorations such as photos of your loved ones are a proven mood-booster. You can also encourage yourself to get outside by hanging up pictures you’ve taken yourself. Displaying art prints and paintings is another good way to fill your home with color and happy associations.
Not sure what type of art to buy? Try paintings of beautiful landscapes such as flower fields or rolling meadows.
Get Organized
Getting organized and staying organized can make your life easier and more stress-free. Rather than rushing out the door each morning, give yourself five extra minutes in your morning routine to put away everything you’ve taken out so you can return home to an orderly space.
Try organizational tricks like sorting by size, hanging hooks, and keeping storage baskets underneath beds or in closets so you can easily keep your things in order. Studies have even shown that decluttering your space (and bedroom specifically) helps you sleep better, which in turn helps you live longer.
Promote Social Spaces
Inspire yourself to cultivate the relationships in your life by creating a space you love to share with others. Purchase (or rent) comfortable furniture in your living room so people have somewhere to sit when they come over and decorate your dining room to host guests. Consider filling a small cabinet up with board games and purchasing a grill so your home can have plenty of activities for your visitors.
Remember that setting up your home is a marathon, not a sprint. Give yourself time to get it right to prevent financial stress, and remember that no change is permanent. The important thing is creating a space that you love.