The home should be a sanctuary. After a long day toiling at the office, working among the elements or devotedly tending to the demands of a family, your home should be a place of refuge. It should welcome you, comfort you, relax and entertain you.
Unfortunately, not all houses are designed for tranquillity. Rather than reduce stress, some houses cause stress due to their clutter, darkness, sterility and stuffiness. If your house brings you more stress than bless, it’s time you did something.
In this article, let’s explore a few ways to craft a stress-free home. Follow these four tips to turn a hectic domestic space into a blissful sanctuary.
Declutter
“Mess equals stress” isn’t just a catchy buzz phrase touted by self-help cleaning gurus. The concept has real roots in psychology and cognitive science. Essentially, clutter can overwhelm your brain with excess visual, tactile and olfactory stimuli – basically a fancy way of saying that it overloads your senses. To compensate, your brain has to work overtime to process all the new information. As it does, your brain experiences stress.
Therefore, decluttering is a great first step in creating a stress-free home. Develop systems of organization and get the entire family on board to maintain a basic level of tidiness.
Renovate for Brightness and Fresh Air
Have you ever spent time in a dark, stuffy room? There’s something unnerving and anxiety-inducing about it, right? That’s because, according to scientists, everyone experiences some degree of claustrophobia. It doesn’t have to be a stuck elevator or tight prison cell that induces this low-grade anxiety; the culprit can be a poorly lit, poorly ventilated home too.
If you want to undertake renovations to make your home more stress-free, contact a windows and doors supplier to find large, operable replacement windows. Replacing your windows with larger, “low-E” windows (which allow more visible light) can significantly increase the comfort and tranquillity of your house.
To Every Room, a Purpose
Here’s an easy tip to make your home more conducive to relaxation: give every room a purpose. Rooms with ill-defined purposes tend to make a person feel lost and tense. Ensuring each room is dedicated to a particular task, process, or occasion helps give your home structure.
Moreover, consider creating a dedicated “relaxation room,” a place where you – or anyone in the family – can go when you need some time away from the frenzy of the family.
Add Natural Elements
Maybe you’re familiar with the Danish concept of Hygge. It refers to qualities of conviviality and coziness in the home. You can achieve Hygge in various ways, but one of the best ways is to add natural elements.
Add greenery to each room with plants, flowers and indoor potted herbs. Swap the plastic furniture for rustic wood. And complement your furniture with plush, natural fabrics like a linen runner, wool blankets and raw cotton bed sheets.
The examples above represent fundamental ways to craft a stress-free home. To further add tranquil elements, consider filling your home with stress-relieving remedies like scented candles, diffusers, self-care products and – of course – lots of fun, happy company.