WAYS TO CLEAR CLUTTER from your home — and your mind

was a plant on the desk.

Another study from the Journal of Physiological Anthropology found that taking care of your greenery could help calm down your nervous system; those who were tasked with potting a plant significantly decreased their blood pressure.

SWITCH TO WET DUSTING

Dry dusting can actually stir up dust, including endocrinedisrupting chemicals (EDCs) which may potentially mimic or block the function of the hormones that regulate your immune system, metabolism and more. In fact, phenols and phthalates are just two types of EDCs commonly found in up to 90 percent of indoor dust from household materials like vinyl, according to a study at George Washington University.

“Dust with a damp cloth and wet mop instead, so that it doesn’t mobilize the dust. We don’t want you to breathe it in, or get in on your skin,” study author Dr. Veena Singla says.

INCREASE AIR FLOW

Introducing healthier air could be as simple as getting more ventilation in your house, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Cracking a window, and even the door when possible, is the first step to clearing away many contaminants, from chemicals to germs, but also reducing carbon monoxide when you’re cooking with a gas stove.

Although there are no standards for what a safe level of carbon monoxide indoors is, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) notes that the gas at low levels can cause fatigue

ADJUST YOUR LIGHTING

“Yellow lights have been shown in clinical studies to be calming and relaxing,” says Susan Albers, a clinical psychologist at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio. Look to install soft white bulbs in your living room, bedroom and any work-from-home space.

Of course, your house is likely filled with screens, from TVs to laptops and smartphones. Since all that tech emits blue light – the type that suppresses melatonin production – you will want to dim devices in the evening and aim to switch off an hour or two before your bedtime.

LET THE SUNSHINE IN

Vitamin D is known as the sunshine vitamin because the body converts the ultraviolet rays that hit your skin into this crucial nutrient, which is associated with regulating mood and supporting our immune system. Yet many of us lack sufficient amounts: One study in Mayo Clinic Proceedings found some 25 to 50 percent of patients to be deficient in vitamin D. Low levels are linked to seasonal affective disorder, a type of depression that occurs in wintertime when days are shorter and grayer.

If you don’t have a sunny spot, a sun lamp can help. The devices have been shown to boost vitamin D production.

MIND YOUR CLEANING METHODS

Even products that you use to erase messes can make their way to your skin and float through the air in your home into your lungs. A study published in the International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health found that 64 percent of cleaning products tested contained substances that were considered harmful to the skin and respiratory tract.

Search for a healthier and more environmentallyfriendly cleaner that has a label like “EPA Safer Choice,” Singla suggests.

SET YOUR SCENTSCAPE

Tapping your sense of smell is not just a smart method to make you more present. A review of the protective mental effects of essential oils in the journal Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience noted the use of aromatherapy for treating anxiety in cancer patients, specifically with the scent of bergamot. Putting a few drops of the essential oil onto a mini wooden diffuser or atop a pure wax candle can fill a room.

(Note that synthetic versions in home fragrances and scented candles don’t equate as oils and some may contain EDCs.)

TRY BACKGROUND MUSIC

Creating a soothing playlist may set a beneficial tone. Research published in Health Psychology Review found that listening to music generally can lower cortisol and boost endorphins.

Nature soundscapes can have a similar effect, according to a 2017 study in Nature. Study participants who tuned in to nature-related sounds experienced a decrease in their fight-or-flight response as well as their heart rate.

Coleman suggests sampling ambient playlists on Spotify to find one that works for you.

A version of this article appeared in the magazine How To Beat Stress, in 2022.

“REGAL HOME: VIP residence with parkside charm. Remodeled, stone-pillared colonial on 18 acres, first-owner pride, 18 fireplaces, master suite, modern kitchen, 12 BR/12 baths, pantry, finished basement, swimming pool. Near bus. Fencing, formal dining rooms, garden, wood paneling, balcony, servants’ quarters. FHA-VA $30 million.”

If there’s anything most real estate agents dread — and that most don’t do very well — it’s writing the descriptive, narrative ads for the houses they list.

The description above, in case you haven’t guessed, is for the White House, and it was written by a computer in the 1980s for a company called AdWriter. It may not be particularly scintillating, but it did the trick.

Some realty pros have a knack for writing these narratives, no doubt. But for many, the task looms with all the charm of a final exam — even though telling the property’s story in an enticing manner is perhaps the most important aspect of adding the house to the local multiple listing service, where most buyers start their search.

But there is hope. AdWriter is still around, writing copy for about a dozen companies. But

“it was built for print,” says Ken Douthit, son of company founder Harold Douthit, and newspaper advertising isn’t what it used to be. But other outfits have come around that offer a little more panache.

Restb.ai is the latest in a string of artificial intelligence-powered technologies that have launched recently, all aimed at helping agents automate time-consuming tasks like writing property narratives.

For a sample, here’s the beginning of Restb.ai’s 335-word description for the presidential mansion: “This stunning neoclassical-style building features a striking white exterior adorned with grand columns and intricate detailing. The White House comprises 132 rooms, including 35 bathrooms, spread across six levels, providing a mix of formal and informal spaces to cater to the diverse functions of the presidential office.”

Among the new AI offerings, there are chatbots such as ChatGPT from OpenAI, Google’s Bard and Microsoft’s Bing. All work a little differently, and all leave something to be desired. At best, they may require the agent to tweak the results, and at worst, what they spit out is not worth the few seconds it takes to read.

AI is a “very powerful tool as far as being creative,” says Tony McGrory of the PTG Group. “But there are a number of downside risks.”

One is accuracy — or lack thereof. For example, ChatGPT says I wrote a book, which I didn’t. Even worse, I must be typing this from the Great Beyond because it also says, “Sadly, Lew Sichelman passed away in 2019.” It is hot here, but I assure you that the column you are reading was not written by a machine. (Thanks for the “sadly,” though.)

Back to real estate: While some descriptions may be “plausible,” McGrory told me, “they can have only an element of truth. If the information isn’t verified, you can very quickly transmit misinformation.”

The product “has to be absolutely verified,” agrees Long and Foster agent Hill Slowinski in Maryland, who uses ChatGPT and says he is satisfied with the program. “I had to put a lot into (the narratives) to customize them,” he told me. “But it gives me a logical outline, and pointed out some things I hadn’t thought about.”

ChatGPT responds to questions, prompts and a list of agent-provided features. Within seconds, it culls vast amounts of data from the internet, books and articles, then produces listing descriptions. Restb.ai, on the other hand, is not a bot, at least not in the true sense of the word, Chief Product Officer Nathan Brannen explained to me.

It doesn’t chat, either. Rather, it uses computer vision to scan photos submitted by the listing agent. It extracts details from the images, along with information from data providers like CoreLogic, Black Knight and public sources such as tax records and school districts. The technology then writes a complete description that automatically populates the agent’s particular MLS platform.

The program can identify more than 300 features, taking the description far beyond the details in a typical listing, and it can spin out write-ups in more than 50 languages. Agents can even select different styles or tones — whimsical, for example, or simple and straightforward.

If there is a drawback, it seems that the program doesn’t know when to stop. At my request, Restb.ai produced descriptions of eight famous houses — including the Hearst Castle in San Simeon, California; the Frank Lloyd Wright masterpiece Fallingwater in Mill Run, Pennsylvania; and Graceland in Memphis — and all were multiple paragraphs long.

But Brannen says the writeups are wordy only because these properties are upscale and famous. Narratives about regular places like yours and mine wouldn’t be as verbose, he promises. Moreover, the technology can write to any word count an agent desires. And what about mistakes? “We’ve done a lot to reduce errors,” the Restb.ai spokesman told me. “I won’t say it’s not possible, but if there are errors, it’s likely because the data is drawn from public records.”

Of course, as with all these technologies, agents can either publish the generated stories as-is or use them as a starting point for their own text. But the whole idea is to help agents do something better while saving them time.

She has arrived early, my youngest granddaughter, but not a moment too soon. Her promptness means we get to enjoy her that much longer, and no one can quibble with that opportunity.

She is beautiful, with an abundance of hair and a generous helping of rosy cheeks. Wispy brows, teeny nose, and a quivery chin. In one word: perfect. She yawns with carefree abandon and puckers her mouth to suckle like a pro.

When I carry her, I’m reminded of the preciousness of all little creatures, their fragility and defenselessness, their oversized importance in our lives. Babies imbue us with a sense of possibility, but also with the realization of life as a powerful, relentless force that moves ever forward with a will of its own.

Babies make me feel both large and small, important and insignificant. They assure me that, in spite of our worst mistakes, we remain capable of making beauty out of practically nothing.

This precious child makes nine for me. She joins eight cousins ranging in age from 15 years to 8 months, with the oldest, twins, learning to drive and the youngest learning to crawl. News of her birth — actually the process of her mother’s labor — was transmitted across state lines almost instantly, thanks to technology, and it was met with the usual congratulations and requests for details. Weight? Length? Who does she look like? (Herself, very much herself, and that is part of the miracle.)

The most interesting remark came from the 4-year-old, who had seen a photo of his newborn cousin after she had been cleaned, swaddled, and crowned with a pink-and-blue striped knit cap.

“Why did the barber cut her hair so short?” he asked me on FaceTime, face scrunched in worry.

I could barely sputter an answer from laughing so hard. His father, however, explained a bit about baby heads, some of which enter this world with little more than golden down. (The twins, for instance, were very blond and very bald for a very long time.) The 4-year-old was nevertheless confounded by our exclamations of delight over her shock of dark hair.

“But she’s almost bald!”

His two older sisters, whose long locks extend down their backs, cooed and cawed along with the adults, and then pronounced with authority, “She’s so beautiful! Like a doll.”

I agree. And amazing. And precocious. And just what the doctor ordered for my occasionally melancholic heart.

I now go around joking that, with this exquisite little girl, I’ve managed to field a baseball team of grands. I suspect she won’t be the last to bless me. Repetition, however, doesn’t desensitize you; quantity can’t temper the pure, unadulterated joy of holding your child’s child.

As I grow older, as I reflect on what I’ve experienced and how much more I will encounter, I’ve realized that welcoming a new life, especially one so intimately connected to me, is a privilege like no other. I don’t tire of it. Each and every birth leaves me in awe and fills me with wonder. I could welcome nine more babies and still feel the sudden elation, the indescribable rush that brings with it such a clarity of purpose.

Over the course of the next few weeks, the newest member of my large (and sometimes exasperating) clan will meet her cousins in person. Early memories will be made, connections forged. I won’t be there for all these exchanges, but I close my eyes and see the next generation at work: the tentative touch, the tender kiss, the admiring stare.

I press my good luck and whisper a prayer: May they be friends forever and always.

Ana Veciana-Suarez writes about family and social issues. Email her at avecianasuarez@gmail.com or visit her website anavecianasuarez.com. Follow @AnaVeciana.