Week 3: Destressing your home
How are the stress levels after last week? Much better I hope! Focusing on creating a better morning routine with less chaos and more calmness is so important to how the rest of your day goes. It’s all about setting yourself up for success and relaxation from the get-go.
Then don’t forget to continue that progress in work too, making your day less stressful by implementing those simple changes and swaps we discussed.
Now this week I want to take your preparation to the next level — the home environment. It is probably where you spend the most time, yet so many homes are setting people up for stress and hassle.
But don’t worry, as always, I will show you some simple ways to change your home into a much calmer environment, directly impacting your mental and physical health.
The big spring clean
Okay, so this is the most obvious one. Spring cleans are the ultimate in destressing. Get some large boxes and go through the house room by room, removing anything you haven’t used for the past six months, anything that doesn’t fit or work and maybe even change the furniture around. Give the boxes to charity shops, recycle old clothes and do some good with your destressing. The process of doing this is the first and crucial component to destressing your home. A messy home equals a messy mind. By cleaning and organising your home you will instantly feel calmer and more positive. The process of cleaning itself is a destresser too — clean the windows, the floors, the shelves, under the bed and whatever else you can find.
HavearoomwithnoTV
Technology is fantastic, but sometimes it can create a more stressful environment. Create a room or a space within your house or your apartment that has no TV in it, a place where you can listen to the radio, read a book or just unwind when you come in the door.
Let in the light
Rooms that have light are fantastic for your mental health, so try to maximise the light that enters your rooms and the light within the room itself.
Hang up the positivity
When looking for art, posters or photos for your walls, ensure you are selecting pieces that make you feel good or remind you of happy times and places in your life. Position them where you can see them around your home so they can give you a boost and cheer you up after a tough day.
Make it smell good
Sometimes aromas can really change your mood, so make sure your house or apartment smells good. Aroma sticks, scented candles, oils and incense sticks are all great ways to create a relaxing and pleasant aroma.
Create systems
We moved house last year and the most stressful part was not only the moving, but also trying to settle into the new house, trying to integrate our lives into the house. Chaos is never a good thing for stress, so look at the systems in your house and how you can improve them? Do you prep your food for the week, where does your dirty laundry go?
Spreadsheet up
One of the most stressful things about home life can be the bills and the finances. Take charge of those finances and create a spreadsheet. Put absolutely everything on it — what are your expenses costing you each month and each year? When you have your full list together, look through it and see where you can get a better deal by switching provider etc. Having control over your home finances can take a huge amount of stress and pressure out of your life.
Destress your bedroom
How do you expect to be able to sleep well if the environment that you sleep in is full of clothes on the floor, clutter and technology? Your bedroom should be a place of calmness and peace, so take the TV out, clean up all those clothes, put in some blackout blinds and some books, and you will notice a huge difference in the quality of your sleep. Three weeks ago I decided to sleep with my phone outside my bedroom. I bought an old school alarm clock and have noticed a massive improvement in my sleep patterns and quality of sleep too. You should try it.