When you’re struggling with your mental health, you understandably want to do everything in your power to help heal your mind. You may be practicing meditation, you might be looking for a new job, and you may have even cut out alcohol to help minimize the effects on your mind. But did you know that your home can help your mental health? By making a few small changes to your home, you can live harmoniously and help battle through your mental health. Want to know more? Check out these easy yet very effective ways of turning your home into a sanctuary for your mental health.
Open the Blinds More
The sun is a great way of improving your mood, but when you’re inside for long periods of the day (especially during the pandemic), it’s very easy for your mood to slip. Opening the curtains and blinds every day will help let in natural sunlight and contribute to your mood. Not only that, encouraging yourself to do this each day will help you stay in routine and keep your mental health on track. Living in the northern hemisphere, winter is long and (often) harsh. Several years ago, I purchased a sunbox. Over the years, I have found it highly beneficial in supporting my overall well-being, as they also help regulate your sleep cycle and help your body create the feel-good chemicals that are greatly reduced during winter months. I had also realized why I was so attracted to tanning beds during the winter in my 20’s. (P.S.A. Take care of your skin; you only get one! I was lucky, and my dermatologist found a pre-cancerous mole early.)
Set the Temperature
Being too hot or too cold can add to agitation, even for those not struggling with their mental health. When you’re not at a comfortable temperature, it’s easy to become irritated or feel sleepy and lethargic. Consider getting a regulating control with a timer to lower the temp during sleeping hours. It’s thought that sleeping at a cooler temp aids the body in getting more restful sleep. You can always keep a 24-hour AC Service company on hand to come and look at your AC unit should you run into any problems.
Invest In a Comfortable Mattress
Sleep is extremely vital. You may struggle to get enough sleep when you’re battling with your mental health. However, you may also struggle to sleep because you haven’t got the right kind of mattress to not only help you fall asleep comfortably but stay asleep. Getting more sleep will allow your mind to heal, give your body plenty of rest, and significantly improve your overall mood, so it might be worth investing in a more comfortable mattress. In next week’s Grieving Voices podcast episode, I interview Dr. Chris Kerr, and we briefly discuss the effects of interrupted sleep, especially on the older population. He spoke about delirium and how, with reduced sleep, one can become combative and hallucinate. There’s a reason it’s used as a torture tactic.
Fill Your Home With Calming Scents
Many of your senses can affect your mood, and the scents in your home are one of those things. If you’re an anxious person, consider filling your home with the smells of lavender to help keep you calm when you’re at home. After all, your home is a place for relaxing, and the more relaxed you are, the better your mental health will be in the long run. Experiment with different scents to make your home smell beautiful and keep your mood high. My most favorite scent is palo santo. It grows in dry tropical forests and produces very fragrant resin. In Spanish, palo santo means “holy wood.” Its oil, resin, and wood itself have been used for medicinal purposes for thousands of years. I’m very drawn to its scent, diffuse it regularly, burn palo santo sticks to clear negative energy, and often wear my palo santo bracelet. Find what you love that gives you a sense of peace and calm, and you’ll create an anchor of “scent-memory” with that scent. I could go on and on about how our olfactory nerve plays a role in our mood and emotions. But, it’s linked directly to the limbic system. The limbic system is a control center that monitors emotions and memories. Research has shown that odors can affect our mood, concentration, memory recall, and emotions. If you didn’t know, I’m a Young Living Distributor; I have been since 2014. I absolutely love what essential oils have brought to my life!
Bring Nature Indoors
Adding some greenery to your home will not only improve the decor but your mental well-being too. Did you know that plants are known to improve your mood and reduce stress levels? Consider adding a few house plants to your home to help uplift your mood and home! I can’t believe it took me until maybe two years ago to bring plants into my home. If you don’t feel like you have a green thumb, that’s okay. Go to a local greenhouse and ask for easy-care plants. I’ve personally never had luck with succulents; they’re a bit more particular in care. So, if you’re new to plants, I wouldn’t start with those.
De-Clutter
When our environment is cluttered and disorganized, and we’re already feeling cluttered and disorganized within our minds or bodies, our outer environment isn’t supporting a positive shift. Addressing our outer environment can help us shift our mood and mindset. Likewise, addressing what is troubling us in our hearts and minds might be where you want to start. You may be surprised by how you find a renewed motivation to address your home environment, too.
If you don’t believe that clutter impacts our mental health, check out this article from Psychology Today, learn the impact of clutter and how it does not support your mental health.
Create a Sacred Space That’s All Yours
I’m a huge advocate of creating a sacred space that is all yours. And, you may be surprised to learn that it doesn’t take a lot of financial means. It doesn’t require you to remodel your home. I have my office that I call my “Zen Den.” I have this beautiful natural light that fills the space, which once felt like a dungeon due to the tiny basement window. Bless my husband did all of the work himself, having never put in an egress window before. He did an amazing job, but that one thing transformed my love of my office. I feel more inspired and happier in my office than I ever did before. It has a wide window sill where I have a plant, a pretty lamp, a photo of my spouse and me, a yummy-smelling candle, and a small desk calendar with a daily quote.
My “Zen Den” (i.e., my office) serves several purposes. I hold my in-person reiki sessions in this space and have made it a point to make it a relaxing space for that as well, with a small water fountain, Himalayan salt lamp, essential oils, and of course, my “working” desk space.
If you don’t have an office or extra room in your home, you can easily create a corner of your home that is all yours. Put a comfy chair, ottoman, comfy blanket, small side table, a plant, and a lamp. You’ve then created a lovely space to read magazines or books, knit/crochet, connect with a friend/loved one over the phone, watch a movie on a tablet, write/journal, listen to soothing music or inspiring podcasts/books, etc.
I have kids, so I know having the time/quiet to do this may be difficult. However, sometimes getting up before the rest of the house rises for the day could be the most self-caring thing you can do for your mental health. And, if you’re not a morning person, perhaps looking at how sending the kids to bed even 20 minutes earlier can help create the quiet you need to give to yourself – even if it’s only twenty minutes to spend some time doing something you enjoy to decompress from the day. I could create a whole post about this topic alone, and perhaps I will. It’s so important to fill our cups, as we can’t give from an empty (or burned out) one, right?!
I hope you found this post helpful. I’d love to hear if you try any of these tips. Thank you for reading!