Home should be a place of comfort and relaxation. It should serve as a place where you can be yourself, recharge, and unwind from the stress of everyday life. But, a home is more than just four walls. How you design your home environment can actually make a big difference in your mental health, and can even affect your physical well-being.
Home design is more than a way to showcase your personality (though that’s also important!). How you choose to set things up can give you peace of mind, make your living space more conducive to your needs, and even make you feel refreshed if you want a “clean slate” in your life.
So, how can you design your home in a way that improves your mental and physical health? Let’s cover a few helpful tips that can make a big difference, and will allow you to look forward to every second you spend within those “four walls”.
Make Relaxation a Priority
Again, your home should be a place where you can relax. It should be a space that brings you happiness and comfort, and a lot of that has to do with your design efforts. There is no one perfect way to design your home. Rather, it’s about creating a space that makes you feel your best. However, some home decor tips have been proven to boost mental health, including:
- Having houseplants in different rooms
- Utilizing natural light
- Decluttering/practicing minimalism
- Using the right colors for each room to soothe your mind and body
Things that feel familiar will also help to make you feel more relaxed and comfortable at home. For example, try hanging your favorite pieces of inspiration art. Or, get creative with different ways to display your family photos. While certain design trends are popular (and helpful) for a reason, at the end of the day, your home is still a reflection of who you are. Adding touches of your personality and lifestyle will go a long way in helping you to relax and unwind each time you set foot in the door.
Keep Things Safe
You’re not going to be able to fully relax at home unless you feel safe and secure. That’s a two-fold subject, since it covers the overall safety of your property itself, as well as keeping yourself protected from people intending to harm.
From a home safety standpoint, making reasonable and practical upgrades can make a big difference. Some common safety upgrades that won’t break the bank include:
- Installing an air filtration system (especially if you have family members with respiratory issues)
- Checking for any cracks or spaces on doors, windows, and walls
- Implementing a water filtration system
- Utilizing smart home technology
In addition to things like air and water filtration making your home safer, they can also make it healthier by removing toxins and chemicals. You can stay on the healthy upgrades trend by repainting rooms with eco-friendly paint or upgrading your lighting to improve your circadian rhythms so you can get more sleep.
A safe home is a healthy home. You’ll experience less stress when you’re not worried about your family getting sick or injured, and you can take comfort in knowing that a few simple upgrades can improve everyone’s health and well-being.
Design to Fit Your Wellness Needs
People are spending more time at home thanks to the pandemic. As of August 2021, nearly five million Americans were working from home at least half of the time. While spending more time at home can help to boost your mental health in many ways, it could have potential physical drawbacks – if you allow it.
Spending more time at home can make it easier to become sedentary, especially if you’re sitting all day for work, not getting out of the house, and not spending as much time with friends and family.
Changing a few things about your home design can help you to stay active even when you’re home all day.
Consider installing a home gym by switching up the purpose of one of the rooms in your house. A basement, den, or spare bedroom can be perfect spaces for working out. With so many guided workouts available online, you really only need a computer, a little bit of space, and maybe a few pieces of equipment to get in a great workout each day.
If you’re working from home, you might also want to consider putting together an outdoor office space. They’re becoming more popular for businesses, and there’s no reason you can’t enjoy the same benefits at home, including:
- Increased Vitamin D
- A feeling of restoration
- Reduced stress
- Boosted energy
- Improved focus
As long as you have a strong Wi-Fi connection and the space to do it, an outdoor office can help to keep you productive while boosting your mental well-being during the workday.
There are so many additional tips and tricks you can put in place to improve your mental and physical health at home. Focus on meeting your needs, and consider the things that always help you feel your best. Changing up your home design can be a wonderful form of self-care that benefits you and your family for years to come.
