Health is at the front of all our minds as the coronavirus pandemic continues to dominate our lives. For many people, repeated lockdowns and restrictions on our social interactions have taken a toll on their wellness. As a result, consumers are taking more control of their health and focusing on at-home wellness.
If you’re keen to improve your health and wellbeing in 2022, how can you create a home environment that helps you do this?
- Declutter Your Rooms
Decluttering your home environment can be cathartic and help to combat stress. Once the process is complete, having a more organised living space can deliver a long-lasting impact on your wellbeing by creating a feeling of calm. On a practical level, knowing exactly where everything is and being able to find it when you need to is a great way to make your days less fraught with hustle and bustle.
It’s tempting to hoard items we no longer use for sentimental reasons or fear that “we might need them one day”. You may have to be a little ruthless to reduce the amount of clutter in your home. If you haven’t used or worn something for a year or more, there’s a good chance you never will. And by the time the need arises again — if it ever does — the item may well need updating.
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Of course, we all have belongings that mean something to us for personal reasons, regardless of their utility, but be honest with yourself about your reasons for keeping all the “stuff” you fill your rooms with. What is really useful or special to you, and what are you clinging on to “just in case” you may need it in the distant future?
And once you’ve successfully decluttered your rooms, don’t use this as an excuse to fill the space with new clutter!
- Eliminate Accident Risks
In-the-home accidents are common for people of all ages, from toddlers to grandparents. They can be upsetting and cause injuries that restrict how we live our lives until we recover. This can have a significant impact on your mental health and wellness.
Take a walk through your home and remove any hazards such as trailing cables that could result in trips, precariously balanced objects that could fall and hit someone, and floors littered with objects such as shoes and discarded clothing.
- Create a Kitchen that Makes Healthy Meal Prep Easy
Now we’re not suggesting you splash out on a new kitchen to promote wellness at home, but there are ways to make your meal prep area more conducive to creating healthy meals.
Keep your worktops clear of clutter and clean them regularly with antibacterial spray. Create different zones for food prep, cooking and cleaning up. Invest in a few small pieces of kitchen equipment to help you create healthy meals, such as a spiraliser and a vegetable steamer. Finally, keep some glass mason jars stocked up with healthy snacks like nuts and seeds. Keeping these visible and easily accessible will make you more likely to reach for something healthy when hunger strikes rather than rooting in the cupboard for junk food.
The kitchen is one of the most important rooms in a house when it comes time to sell. If you’re making home improvements to not only promote wellbeing but also to sell your house fast, spend time turning your kitchen into a calm, welcoming and appealing space for potential buyers.
- Bring the Outdoors Indoors
Bringing more plants into your home is one of the best ways to make it a healthier place to be. Plants clean the air and remove toxins — you can even buy “air-purifying plants,” such as the Peace Lily or the Snake Plant.
Spending more time in nature and bringing it into your everyday life is a well-documented way to boost your mental health and physical wellbeing. According to the charity Mind, being closer to nature can improve your mood, reduce feelings of stress or anger, improve confidence and reduce loneliness, to name just a few benefits.
- Make Your Bedroom an Oasis of Calm
In the fast-paced, constantly connected world we live in, it can be hard to completely switch off and relax. Yet this is crucial for promoting optimum health and wellness.
One space in your home that should be an oasis of calm is the bedroom. This is where you go to rest, sleep and recharge. Keep decor neutral and light. Consider using blackout blinds or curtains to help you switch off and get a good night’s sleep. Avoid installing a TV or taking other electronic devices into the bedroom. You might like to light a scented candle in the evening to create a calming atmosphere.
There are plenty of ways to promote wellness in your home, and most require very little effort, time or expenditure. Try to schedule some “me time” each day to enjoy being in the calm environment you have created — not racing around checking things off the to-do list, just relaxing and being mindful. Your home is the only space in the world that you can fully control. Take advantage of this and create your own little oasis of calm and wellness away from the hectic world beyond your front door.
