Easy ways to improve wellbeing in your home

I know I normally write about interior styling ideas for kids and as you may have noticed I have been writing about different ideas relating to interiors but also health.

This is because I see the 2 as interlinked and really important. Think about how you feel when you’re in a dark space all the time, it doesn’t make you the happiest! The amount of natural light, spatial layout and interiors all contribute to the feel of a space and have the ability to affect our mood, which can influence our wellbeing.

Too many times I hear people use the excuse that they don’t have the time or the money to change the look and feel of their home, but I want you to know that small inexpensive tweaks are it all it takes to give your space a face lift, change your mindset and improve your happiness.

Give the windows a good scrub – I know this might seem like a really obvious point to make but it is often the one thing we neglect to do (because let’s be honest it sucks!) but it can make a real difference to the amount of natural light that comes through the window, which plays a big part in regulating our mood.

I’ll admit I recently had one of those days where I felt a bit out of control, my house was a mess, I had loads to do and was crazy tired but I felt like I needed to clean and that hopefully it would get me out of my funk. I strangely decided to start with the windows because for some reason it was shitting me and my house felt dark and gloomy. I was amazed at how much gunk and dirt had built up over time and just how much sunlight came through afterwards.

It didn’t cost me anything except my time and I’ll admit having more sunlight in the house made me feel happier – it didn’t stop me craving chocolate but hey we can’t win all battles! 🙂

Image by beckiowens.com via Pinterest

Buy yourself some flowers – or better yet nick some from your neighbours garden (and of course I don’t condone stealing!!) 🙂

It’s amazing the way a nice scent can uplift your mood and I think there’s something to be said about having a nice bunch of flowers in the house, it brightens any space because of the vibrant colours, is inexpensive and even if you feel like a piece of shit at least the flowers will lighten the house even if your mood doesn’t!

Image by theglitterguide.com via Pinterest

De-clutter – I know it’s one of those phrases that gets thrown around a lot and people get sick of hearing about it but it is true. We live in a society where we constantly buy and consume and before we know it we have a home full of stuff we don’t need and don’t even get me started about what kids bring to the mix when it comes to accumulating more “stuff”!

With kids it’s inevitable that you will end up with more toys than anyone needs but a way to combat this overtaking your home is to get baskets and put them in your child’s room or play area and slowly start to collect the toys that aren’t played with all the time. If after a few months those toys haven’t been touched I think you can safely say they won’t be missed.

There’s a lot to be said about the idea of ‘out with the old, in with the new’. I often think of it as energy, when I get rid of something that I no longer need or use, I feel like I’ve opened myself up for something new to come into my life (in my case shoes!). It actually feels cathartic when I look in cupboards and don’t feel like they’re going to explode.

I’m not saying to throw out something you love because that is obviously in your home for a reason but we all hang onto things that maybe we shouldn’t because we think there will come a time that we will use it. I’m here to tell you that if that time hasn’t come now it’s not going to so in the wise words of Doctor Phil, “let it go”.

Image by hupehome.com via Pinterest

Switch the room around – I know this idea might sound a bit crae crae and I’m not suggesting you change every single room around but what I am saying is don’t be afraid to experiment because it can transform the way you use or feel in a space.

If you’re furniture layout has been stressing you out for a while because it doesn’t feel quite right try removing one item from the space, for example a chair or possibly changing the angle of your couch. And then reassess whether the space flows better. Sometimes we fill a room with additional furniture thinking we need that extra chair etc when all it does is cause clutter and close off a space.

I know it can be hard to do this when you have an awkward room layout but even changing the location of artwork or mixing up what you have on a shelf can make a massive difference.

It gives you new perspective, which is really important because it’s easy to lose this when we live with something a certain way for too long (I must be channeling the Dali Lama because that sounded really profound even for me 🙂

Image by Rachel Maucieri via Pinterest

I hope these easy tips have helped and given you some ideas on ways to improve the well being in your home. I know more than anyone the stresses the come with trying to up keep a home, raise a child (sometimes 2 if my husband’s having a moment) and work; the thought of it alone makes my head want to explode some days.

Recently I have realised that it’s ok to not be in control of everything all the time and that sometimes things just aren’t going to get done (washing I’m talking about you here!) but that’s ok because we’re doing our best.

I’ve written about easy tips because sometimes simple is all we can handle and often all we need. When we start to focus on the small goals and chip away at them one at a time, it’s amazing what we can achieve in the end.