ad collaborative post // Our mental health is incredibly important and something that we are now more aware of than ever before. Spending an increased amount of time inside has been difficult for a lot of people, so knowing how to make positive changes to your home to bring positive energy and comfort is key.
Photo by Raspopova Marina on Unsplash
Let in as much light as possible
Sunlight is naturally stimulating and making the most of daylight will have a positive impact, even if you don’t feel it right away. Our natural instinct is to close the curtains and hide away, but letting in lots of light will make a difference to your mood – it will also ensure that you don’t sleep too much which can also result in feeling worse.
Open curtains and blinds in every room during the day to allow as much natural light into your home as possible. It’s a small step but you’ll also start to feel more productive, stimulating your mind into a more positive place.
Dedicate time and space to being active
While it’s the last thing on our minds when we’re struggling with our mental health, getting up and being active does wonders and helps us get back on track to feeling better again. With exercise being proven to lift moods and improve symptoms of depression and anxiety, that post-glow workout feeling can go a long way to add some positivity.
Find a space in your home that you can do some exercise in – depending on your fitness level, you may want to do something every day, or a few times a week. Gardens are great for home workouts, but if you don’t have an outside space you can choose a room that’s suitable. There are lots of videos on YouTube that you can follow for guidance – yoga and meditation are great for both body and soul, and it doesn’t take long to see a change!
Clean home, clean mind
This can feel like a bit of a cliché, but it’s true – spending time cleansing your home will have a positive impact on your mind and your mental health. A lot of us are prone to falling into messy habits and not feeling up to dealing with our surroundings when we hit a low point, and that’s okay – cleaning can wait until you’re ready.
If you find it hard to keep on top of your chores, look at how you can break them down into manageable chunks over the week. Focus on small areas and tasks that you feel up to – small steps are key.
Self-care
Self-care has always been a great way of improving our mental health, so no matter what your version of it is, make sure that you factor it into your weekly schedule. For some of us, a bubble bath with some candles and a good book is the perfect option; for others, it’s a facemask and a glass of wine with a friend.
If you don’t know what self-care works best for you, try some different methods out and see which leaves you feeling the most relaxed!
Introduce scented candles or oil diffusers to your home, and test out some different essential oil scents. Lavender is incredibly calming and helps you relax – it’s also very popular for those who struggle to sleep. Basil oil is known to help muscle aches, making it a good option for those who feel sore after a long day. Add a few drops into a hot bath and let it soak away the pain; you’ll notice a lift in your mood very quickly.
Candles and wax burners are also a great choice to get super cozy and to have lit in your home. Thru Scent have some incredible scents, including coconut + citrus, vanilla + lime and much more! You can get some of the best wax melts for incredibly reasonable prices!
Make your house a home
A lot of the time, our surroundings are a big factor to the state of our mental health. Making your living space more comfortable can help you associate it as a safe place and let your mind rest – a huge weight off your shoulders if you’re struggling with your thoughts.
Look at ways to make the place more you. That can be putting pictures up on the walls to brighten it up and remind you of good memories, hang some fairy lights for a softer light in the evenings, or getting a new blanket or throw for your sofa to make it cosier. Feeling more at ease and settled in your home is a huge factor that will help you feel better, and can be done relatively easily by just picking bits up here and there that you like.
For some of us, completely refurnishing our houses just isn’t enough to make it feel homely, especially if you don’t feel safe in the neighborhood or live away from family and friends which can be incredibly isolating. In this case, starting afresh somewhere else can be the best decision for you, giving your mind the peace it needs. If you’ve been thinking about this and have been asking yourself “how can I sell my house quickly”, this is a good sign that it’s time for you to move and find somewhere else that’s going to be more suitable for you.
Looking after your mental health is very important, and once you know what works for you, it can be much easier to manage your mind and recognise when you’re falling into low moods and what to do to keep yourself safe. Take from this list what helps you, reach out to family and friends, or speak to a professional for more support. Be kind to yourself, and remember – you got this!
This is a great piece of advice. Loved reading it!
Thanks for sharing these tips, I’m trying to stop going on the computer late to have some time to relax so I can get some much needed sleep 🙂 Plus also going for a walk helps to 🙂
These are fab tips, I always feel so much better when I’m in a room with as much light as possible. Sometimes when I get up for work in the morning and I’m in a rush I sometimes don’t open my blinds next to the desk and I can tell it really affects how I feel in the morning. Cleaning is also something that really helps me! I did some cleaning today and it has made me feel so much better xx
These are such great ideas! Every Saturday, I clean the house and make sure everything is ready for the week. I plan the next week both food and to-do wise and relax on a Sunday. Changes are so easy to make but they make such a difference!
Em x
Thank you for this post Jenny! I’ve been struggling a bit recently. When feeling down or anxious I’d just exercise to help me feel better and it seemed to work. However, I just don’t seem to have the motivation now or be in the right mindset for it – it’s something I’m working on x
Megan Elizabeth
Yes, to all these, especially self-care! Great post!
xoxo
Lovely
http://www.mynameislovely.com
Great post, Jenny! I agree, I feel so anxious when my house isn’t tidy. I love waking up and opening all the blinds and curtains as well as less items in my home so I have more room to think openly. Thanks for sharing x
Lynn | http://www.lynnmumbingmejia.com
i literally SWEAR by a clean space; i can never ever stress enough how much that does for my mental clarity and stress levels!! exercise too; walks, runs, stretching, pilates, weight lifting, alllll of it x
Some great suggestions! Couldn’t agree more, our surroundings are so important! X
I’ve found being home so much quite difficult too! And we added a baby into the mix and suddenly there was baby stuff EVERYWHERE! And no space to relax or that was just ‘me’. It’s been really helpful for me to keep on top of tidying all the baby stuff and clutter at least out of one room. Then I can properly relax and unwind.
Great ideas! I’m looking around realising that I’ve been letting things get cluttered again and have not been working out nearly as much as I should have been lately. This was a timely reminder of how some of these small things quickly add up. Loved this.
These are all great ideas! A clean room can help so much, I usually clean when I feel anxious or can’t handle some situations. Also exercising has been such a great help and I regret not considering it earlier! Thanks for sharing x
Having a clean room is so good for a better headspace! As does light, I love openeing the curtains and letting the light in – especially if I have pretty flowers too 🙂 x
So many great tips here! I love letting in lots of light, and keeping the wall colours light really helps to enhance this as well. I love placing crystals around the house as well as lots of houseplants haha! There is just smething calming about them 🙂
Thanks for sharing!
Aimsy xoxo
Aimsy’s Antics
Such a great post! I agree about letting the sunlight in and I like to open the windows so I get that fresh air coming in. Self care is hard because I like time to myself, where I can just take things at my own pace but lockdown is getting in the way… hopefully not much longer.
Thanks for sharing!
These are great suggestions as always, Jenny! I massively agree with letting light in – having natural light in a room immediately improves my mood xx
mia // https://beautiful-inspiring-creative-life.com/
Great tips Jenny and yes to the clean home, less clutter definitely helps 👍
I love this, self care is soooo important! I never have thought of light but I’ll definitely try that! Great post!! <3
Wonderful post!!! I think making your house into a home is one of the most important things to radiate positivity. I personally love to burn sage or rosemary to get rid of any negativity energy into my house, it’s so helpful