Easy Ways to Improve Mental Wellbeing at Home
by Denisse Garcia
Your home environment plays a vital role in your physical and mental wellbeing. If you’re suffering from stress or anxiety, it’s crucial to make sure that your home is a place that promotes feelings of positivity and calm. People who work from home may suffer from mental well-being issues.
Different cultures around the world have distinct traditions related to wellbeing. New Year celebrations commonly help us reset and begin a new cycle. For example, the Sinhalese New Year celebrated by some Sri Lankans includes preparing to celebrate their New Year by decluttering their house and deep cleaning their homes, among other revitalizing activities.
Conditions like burnout have become more common in recent years. Taking care of our mental health in the workplace has become a challenge, especially for those working from home. However, these issues can affect anyone from every age group and background. Fortunately, there are things you can do in order to improve your home, which will, in turn, promote a greater sense of happiness. This guide has some easy, helpful tips that will encourage and inspire you to start taking action to make your home a space that’s welcoming and optimized for better mental wellbeing.
Having a clean, organized home can be beneficial for your health. Studies show that being surrounded by clutter can negatively affect your mental health in many ways. Thankfully, there are several things you can do to optimize your space to improve your sense of emotional wellbeing. With the proper arrangements, layout, and organization, you can free your mind and enjoy improved wellbeing at home.
Optimize Your Home for Better Mental Wellbeing
Declutter, Organize, and Clean – In That Order
It’s essential to develop the best strategy for decluttering your home. Even if you have limited time, try to tackle just one room at a time. You can do this just once per week, and before you know it, your home will be clean and clutter-free. If you have kids at home, use storage systems like bins with labels and shelving units to keep books and toys organized. Come up with a day of decluttering and make it fun so that your kids can get involved.
Separate items into piles that you want to keep, sell, and give away, making it easier to get the things you want to keep organized later.
Host a yard sale to sell items you no longer want or need. Look for some local nonprofit organizations where you can donate your items and put them to good use.
Use labels to help you separate your belongings by type. Place everything in fabric or plastic bins, so they stay in one designated area.
When it’s easy to find what you need, you’ll notice an improvement in your stress and emotional wellbeing. Schedule one day a week to declutter your home room-by-room until you finish.
After you’ve decluttered and organized, it’s time to do some cleaning. All-purpose cleaning sprays, sponges or microfiber cloths, and disinfectant products are all must-haves to keep a clean space.
Invest in a quality vacuum cleaner to keep carpets and rugs nice and clean. Dust your furniture and clean your windows weekly to maintain a clean, healthy home.
Struggling with your mental wellbeing can cause you to put your household chores on hold. Try washing your dishes after eating instead of letting them sit in the sink and putting away tools after finishing a project.
Once you finish decluttering your space, it will be easier to declutter your mind.
From furniture and garments to books and different knickknacks, we collect a ton of things as we age. By the time we arrive at retirement age, our homes are pressed loaded with things – some that are as still meaningful, however, a lot more are just clutter. Cleaning up can really change your life and set you straight every day of the week. When you’ve cleaned up, you can zero in on downsizing to a home that accommodates your way of life.
The Importance of Having the Correct Layout
Having an open space is proven to be more beneficial for your mental wellbeing. By doing some rearranging, your home will make you feel much calmer and more relaxed. Draw a few layout ideas on paper, then decide which furniture arrangement works best for you. If you’re more tech-savvy, use a home design app to help you preview your layout before you commit. Always make sure you have plenty of room to move around and won’t bump into furniture. A clear pathway to and from each room is vital to wellbeing at home.
Customize Your Home for Better Mental Wellbeing
Adding some touches of your personality will make your home feel more welcoming. You’ll also be much happier whenever you’re spending time at home. Here are some ways to customize your home and make it more mental health-focused and suitable for you.
Use Color Therapy
The colors in your home can significantly impact your mood and wellbeing. Consider changing the colors to make your space more visually and mentally appealing.
Choose light, pastel colors like soft blue or sage green. Bright, lively colors like sunny yellow can also improve your mental wellbeing at home.
Design an accent wall featuring a fun, vibrant color to lift your mood. You can also add some playfully patterned wallpaper for a fun pop.
Create a colorful gallery wall filled with a variety of artwork and framed photos. Use different-colored frames for a fun visual effect.
Use pops of color in your home by adding décor that helps wellbeing like colorful throw pillows, area rugs, baskets, or a few decorative sculptures.
Try some LED strip lights or lightbulbs that change color or look for mood lights you can program via a Bluetooth app to set the tone.
It is demonstrated that colors can influence a child’s thinking or responding patterns, playing a significant role in their growth and development.
Let the Light In
Natural light has profound positive impacts on both mental and physical wellbeing. Make sure you’re letting in as much natural light as possible inside your home. Replace blinds or thick curtains with sheer window panels to allow the sunlight to filter into your home. Exposure to natural light improves mood, sleep quality, and your body’s ability to absorb vitamin D, known as “the sunshine vitamin.” It also reduces eyestrain, which is particularly beneficial to people who work from home. Too much artificial light can have detrimental effects on your circadian rhythm. It may also contribute to depression, fatigue, and brain fog, so be sure to let the sunshine in.
Modernize Your Home for Better Mental Wellbeing
Look for modern tech and products to improve your wellbeing, like noise machines and apps that help with sleep or meditation. Technology can help with mental wellness and make spending time at home pleasant rather than a stressful time. Here are some home wellness technology gadgets to consider and activities you can try at home to encourage healthy mental wellbeing.
Smart Gadgets for Wellbeing
Consider using some of these handy wellness technology gadgets at home:
Essential oil diffusers help provide aromatherapy that can create a calming environment. Choose oils like lavender to fill your home with a soft, relaxing fragrance.
A sun lamp or light therapy box can help improve things like seasonal affective disorder (SAD), insomnia, and anxiety.
Sleep gadgets that monitor your sleep quality can help teach you healthy sleep habits. You can also use a white noise machine to help promote deeper sleep.
Try a meditation app that teaches you how to practice mindfulness and focus on your breathing. Meditation can lower blood pressure and reduce stress while promoting good mental wellbeing.
A variety of massaging devices are available to help with sore, tired, or aching muscles. Use a neck, foot, or back massager to help you relax at the end of a long day.
Install a water purifier to ensure that you’re drinking the cleanest, healthiest water possible. Drink several glasses of water per day to improve your physical and mental wellbeing.
Activities to Try at Home
Try these easy activities at home to improve mental wellbeing.
Set up a self-care room or use a corner of a room in your home to have a calm, quiet place to unwind and relax. A reading nook or yoga room are excellent examples.
Add houseplants to your home to improve air quality and create a calming vibe. Taking care of your plants could help reduce anxiety. Look for low-maintenance plants if you struggle with constant upkeep.
Listen to soothing music to help improve wellbeing at home. You can also learn to play a new instrument like the piano or violin. Music has incredibly impactful healing abilities on the body and mind.
Switching off and learning a new hobby like sewing, painting, or other arts and crafts you’re interested in. Hobbies are a great way to help you focus on something you really enjoy, and they can also help you forget your cares and stresses.
Keep all of these tips in mind to help you improve your mental wellbeing at home. If you need help with minor- or medium-sized household projects like painting, hanging wall mirrors or art, assembling furniture, and other maintenance tasks, look for a handyperson in your area who can help. With a few simple changes, you can transform your home and turn it into a place that will improve your mental health and wellness.
Denisse is a content writer at Porch.com. She is passionate about the environment, technology, health and wellness, and home décor. When she's not writing for Porch, you can find her at the beach with her dog or cooking for her friends and family.
(This article originally appeared on Porch.com and has been shared here with permission from the author)