Having a home environment that promotes relaxation and efficiency is vital for both your mental and physical health. Unbelievably, the way your home is decorated and laid out can affect how well you rest and work, so doing everything you can to optimize your living space is of key importance. In this article, we’ll explore some of the ways your home can influence the quality of both your work and your relaxation.
The Importance of a Healthy Home Environment
For most of us, home is where we spend the most amount of time outside of the workplace. Working from home is becoming increasingly common, too, resulting in a growing number of people being at home for longer periods than they are anywhere else. Regardless of where you work from, though, your home environment can have a major impact on your overall wellbeing.
This is because our home design and decor can both influence our ability to work effectively and relax. Whether you like to unwind by reading, playing online pokies at Joe Fortune, watching movies, or cooking, a cluttered, messy home environment can make it much harder for us to enter a state of genuine, deep relaxation, something which is crucial for maintaining good mental health and keeping our stress levels as low as possible.
The air quality in your home can also have an impact on how easily you’re able to relax, as can the amount of natural light that enters your property. Artificial lighting can disrupt our circadian rhythms, for instance; the same is true of a lack of exposure to natural light. If you don’t take in enough natural light during the day, you may find that your sleep is negatively impacted, causing fatigue and issues with concentration.
Your Home Design and Decor and How It Impacts You (For Better and For Worse)
Fortunately, there are plenty of ways for us to optimize our home environment so that it works for, rather than against, our physical and mental health. We can overhaul our decor and home design, for instance, as well as considering the impact any landscaping outside our property might also be having; a well-landscaped property is a real thing of beauty, and having a garden that inspires us and fills us with joy, if feasible, is absolutely fantastic for our general wellbeing.
Plants and Greenery
One of the easiest ways to liven up your living space is through the inclusion of houseplants. Not only are plants colourful and cheerful, but they can make a major difference to the air quality in your home.
Research has shown, for instance, that common houseplants are able to reduce the amount of nitrogen oxide in the air in an enclosed space by up to 20%. What’s more, regular exposure to nature more generally has been shown to reduce stress levels and enhance feelings of relaxation in us, making grabbing a few pot plants for your home, if you don’t already have some, pretty much a no-brainer.
Some plants require more upkeep and care than others, so do keep this in mind if you’re thinking of purchasing some. If you’re not able to commit to much more than watering your plants every few weeks, for instance, then you’ll probably want to go for something very low maintenance, like a variety of cactus. On the other end of the spectrum are bonsai trees, which need significantly more care, but can also be incredibly rewarding to look after.
Decor, Interior Design, and Clutter
The way your room is decorated and laid out can have a major impact on your psychological state and wellbeing more generally. For instance, certain colours can influence your mood, making the wallpaper or paint you choose far more important than you may have realized.
Many of us struggle to concentrate effectively and relax in more cluttered environments, too. So, while it might not seem important at the time, you might want to think twice next time you leave a pile of laundry on the couch or throw your bag on the table when you get home from work, rather than hanging it up. For most people, tidy living spaces promote a sense of relaxation and wellbeing, and once you make keeping things orderly into a habit, it becomes significantly easier to stick to.
Air Quality and Natural Lighting
It probably goes without saying that the air quality in your home can impact your physical and mental wellbeing. If your house has issues with Mold or dust, this can affect your respiratory health and sleep, particularly if you have allergies. Ensuring that you have plenty of fresh air circulating through your house is crucial for this reason.
And you’ll want to make sure that you have ample natural lighting entering your living space, too. As mentioned previously, a lack of natural lighting, or being exposed to excess artificial lighting, can result in disruptions to our circadian rhythms, making it harder for us to fall and stay asleep.
