Joanna Marie, Negosentro | Top Tips for Turning Your Home into a Haven | For many people, their home is a place where stress is rife, and relaxing is never an option. Though your home should be somewhere you come back to unwind in after a long day of work, the reality is often much further from the truth. However, that doesn’t mean that all hope is lost. Having a calm home environment can reap its benefits on your general and mental health, and will keep your stress levels low. In fact, there are a number of ways you can turn your home from a house into a haven, where you will love spending all of your time.
Keep it clean
This may sound like an obvious point, but a clean home is rarely a happy one. If your home has dirt or clutter lying around, this can impact your health in ways you may not have realized. For example, storing belongings in your home that you no longer want can accumulate dust over time, which can wreak havoc on your airways and breathing. Though decluttering can be a difficult task, it doesn’t mean that you must throw everything away. Moreover, it encourages people to make the most of innovative storage solutions, and hold onto the cherished possessions while junk is given away. Tackling your entire house in one go is both daunting and impossible, so if you have a large amount of work ahead of you, you can start by cleaning one room at a time. Once you have a fresh start, this will enable you to keep on top of cleaning by doing one small bit at a time, and clutter will soon become a thing of the past.
Bring the outdoors inside
Being in the green outdoors is known to bring a wealth of benefits to your mental health, and it can also help you reconnect with the natural world if you are usually surrounded by tall, gray flats. Even if you don’t have a garden, there are many ways you can bring the outdoors inside. This can range from having potted plants lining your windowsills, which will bring a pop of color into your home to brighten your day. Not only this, but having plants will vastly improve the air quality of your house by cleaning it naturally to aid with better breathing. Leaving your window open every now and then will bring a dose of fresh air into a room, and you can let it pass through the whole house by leaving internal doors open. You could even start your own mini allotment by growing herbs from small pots in your kitchen, which will add an undeniable green touch to your cooking. If you don’t want plants indoors, or you would like to incorporate other elements of the world, you can always purchase prints and artwork of nature to have in each room.
Make use of natural light
If you live in a flat or house that doesn’t let much natural light in, then it can give the illusion that your rooms are smaller and stuffier than they truly are. One of the best ways to create an open, more inviting space is by utilizing natural light to your advantage. If you can afford to have your windows re-done, then this is a foolproof way of bringing the light indoors, but for most people, the best step to take is choosing a light color scheme to run through the house. This can start with the walls and work its way into the soft furnishings that are scattered across every room. Placing mirrors in strategic locations will also reflect light from one room to another, which will cultivate a connection with the outside world. It also has great benefits to your mental health to see the sun every day.
Bring the spa home
Spas are the epitome of relaxation. With scents designed to help you feel calm and energized, and an atmosphere based around bliss, there is no wonder that some people see them as the source of happiness. Yet having regular massages can prove expensive, and it is often inconvenient to travel far to find the best place to go. Luckily, you can bring elements of a spa to your home, without having to spend lots of money. Having scented candles, traditional music, incense sticks and essential oils will help invoke the feeling of being somewhere other than home. You could replace your towels with new, fluffy ones to truly relax all the senses.
Redesign your outside space
Much of your home lies indoors, but your outside space is still a place that you want to be proud of, where you can spend your time in the summer months. If you are an avid gardener, then this is no problem. You can trim back your hedges and plant brightly colored flowers to give off a happy vibe, and make use of solar lamps to let you garden light up during the night. If you need an entire overhaul of your garden to include a pool or a themed space, then it’s best to enlist the help of someone else to make sure your vision comes to life at a fair price. One such as HTA Companies, Inc., which is dedicated to bringing you an outdoor paradise, is the best type of service for the job. When you have achieved your dream garden, it will be somewhere that is no longer a chore, but a place of the utmost relaxation.
Invest in comfortable furniture
Relaxation doesn’t just come in the form of creating somewhere that looks good, but what feels good. You may have arranged your lounge area in a way that would dominate any picture, but that doesn’t matter if your couch isn’t soft enough to sit on without it hurting. Investing in new furniture can cost a lot if you don’t know where to look, but you can find new and second-hand furnishings at many outlets. The investment will also pay off in the long run, as you will soon be able to experience a comfortable living space. If you can’t afford it yet, then you can always purchase soft cushions and blankets. Having soft lighting will also create a warm glow throughout your home, which will make you feel calm from the moment you step inside.
Keep work and home separate
It is likely that your home space isn’t your work one, but with an abundance of remote workers and home businesses across the country, it can be a challenge to keep work and home life separated. The best way to get around this is by having a separate office space that you can close the door on after working all day, but many people don’t have this luxury. Working with your kitchen table as your desk can mean you don’t switch out of work mode when you need to. Sticking to a schedule that means you work late as little as possible, and clearing away your work into a storage area after working means it will be out of sight while you try and wind down. This will also help you keep negative emotions with work, and positive ones for home. The most important thing is to ensure your work never creeps into your bedroom, as this space should be reserved for sleeping and relaxing.
Focus on the bedroom
Your bedroom is arguably the place in your house where serenity should permeate every part, but this is often not the case in many households. If you don’t have a relaxing environment, then it is unlikely that you will be able to have a good sleep. Make sure your bedroom door shuts properly, and that you can block out any light on bright mornings by having a blackout curtain, as these will all help you sleep, even during daytime naps and weekend lie-ins. Implement the spa theme here too by having candles and essential oils that are proven to help you sleep, and purchase a good-quality mattress or heavy duvet to help you fall asleep quicker. These are all small touches, but they have been proven to create an environment that is free from stress and worry, which will help most people sleep better and longer.
Value personal touches over style
Though you may want your home to look great, what will make it a true haven is if it has what you want in the house. This could mean that it isn’t the most stylish, but that shouldn’t matter if you love your home from every angle. Having family photographs, mismatched furnishings, and quirky patterns are all small ways you can inject a part of yourself into the place you are living. If you have kids, then you can hang their arts and crafts in special places on the mantelpiece, and if you have a passion for art, it’s a great idea to have some of your own masterpieces decorating the walls. Once you start to make room for memories that make you smile, then your home will be a place you feel connected to more than anywhere else.
