Simple ways to make your home calmer is a paid collaboration with BIGDUG. I have learned the hard way that there is a correlation with a calm mind, a calm home. After my youngest was born I suffered from post natal depression and keeping on top of our house became a real challenge for me. So much so that my husband took it upon himself to employ someone to help get on top of it and then a cleaner to ensure that it stayed calmer for everyone.
The lessons I learned all those years ago have stuck with me and we still have a calm home and I am going to share these tried and tested methods with you.
The first step is always the hardest and honestly, there is no way that you can have a calm home if it is filled with stuff. No doubt about it most of us have too much, much more than we need, so the first step is clearing the clutter once and for all.
6 Steps to a Calmer Home
Delegate
You do not have to martyr yourself for a clean calm home, there are more people living in it than just you. So share the work and share the rewards. This would be my Top tip. I live with a chronic illness and even when I am unwell my home remains tidy and calm as my husband and children know what to do.
A place for everything
It is much easier to delegate when you and everyone else know where things are. So have a place for things and also make sure others know where that place is.
Storage is key
Contain, contain, contain (and label)! I have lots of different containers for things at home and wish they could all be beautiful and coordinated, but alas that is for people with more money than me! But the main thing is they do their job and keep things where they need to be. One area that we have decided to optimise this year is the garage (it is too small for the family car), which has become a dumping ground. It is our intention to add more shelving and use storage boxes to get everything down from our loft. As we have learned that out of sight often means out of mind and we only want to keep what we use.
Utilise the space you have
Lockdown really changed our perspective on the space in our home and rather than having space that was rarely used (such as spare rooms) we opted to use them and turn them into multifunctional rooms. Space is such a precious premium we would rather use it than have it remain empty until someone comes to stay or even put them up in a BnB! Also the same goes for paying for offsite storage, with the cost of living crisis look at optimising the space you have within your house, such as boarding out your loft. You will soon recover the cost of the storage.
Let in the Light
This is a simple but effective tip for a calmer feel to a home, let in the light. During the day open the curtain wide to let as much natural light in as you can and switch out any cool-toned blue lighting (except for work areas) to warm white lighting. Warm lighting works really well got cosy, calm living spaces where we want to relax and be comfortable. Use warm lighting to simulate evening or very early morning light. Use cooler lighting for tasks that require a lot of focus. You don’t have to replace all your lights, you can just change your bulbs.
Bring in the Green
Green tones are calming and also plants are great for creating a calm and healthy home. Research has shown that plants can reduce stress levels and that is great for a calmer environment.
Establish Healthy Boundaries
Another thing the pandemic taught us, is that we can all work from home thanks to technology, but that is a double-edged sword as research has shown that blue light from screens is having a detrimental effect on sleep patterns, not just for kids, but adults too. So we have a dedicated space for our tech to charge and actively try to spend time without it. We have also added do no-disturb mode on our phones – Don’t worry you can add exceptions and conditions.
As you can see having a calmer more relaxing home doesn’t mean spending the earth and buying all new things. It is about making the most of what you have. Learning what you need and adapting habits to accommodate. Investing in shelving and storage for our garage will make a long time impact on our home.