Stress and our wellness
Stress! Doctors will tell you to reduce your stress, and then the Mayo Clinic says the following:
“Stress is a normal psychological and
physical reaction to the demands of life.”
It is normal, and we can even thrive or excel when we are stressed, but like anything, too much stress can create problems. First let’s start by talking about how stress can affect YOU. With all the events that come at us in life stress is certainly a big part of our lives, and it does affect our health. When stress is not addressed and not managed it can go as far as leading to heart disease, obesity, blood pressure, and diabetes. Short term, it can create depression, insomnia, and anxiety to name a few.
Our homes and our habits can create stress management and even stress relief in our lives.
How do you ask?
As an interior designer, toxin specialist, wellness advocate and human I would say priority to reducing your stress is to ORGANIZE your home! I know, I know I am not always good at it either. Lots of excuses, I don’t have the time to, I am bad at it, and on and on. Over the last year I have made huge efforts for various reasons to organize, reduce, and systematize my home. Guess what? Drum roll, please….. when I am in an area of my home that I have finished all three I am remarkably calm, i.e. not stressed. To start I walked around each room and removed the items I don’t or haven’t used and realistically won’t. When you are ready, it is an easier task than it sounds. I even found I would open a utensil drawer in my kitchen while I was waiting for something to cook and quick weeded out what I don’t use and probably won’t. That first tabletop, drawer, or bookshelf that looks lighter and airy will make you smile. Trust me.
What does that look like to complete?
Image from Heid Caillier Design
Now you are organized and have routines in place to keep clutter at bay. Phew! Let’s talk about how we create spaces that support our wellness. First what can reduces stress?
Breathing – Taking a quiet moment
Meditation
Exercise
Connecting with Nature
Family Time
How do we create those relievers in our? What would it look like?
Steal a empty corner of a room or pick a favorite chair and leave a pillow out for you to use for meditation or yoga. Make sure it is in a quiet area so you can take a quick moment to deep breath or a longer session of meditation.
Bring the outdoors inside – try a simple fix of clean, bright windows to connect with nature visually, also don’t forget to open your windows to freshen the air inside. Place plants in your rooms to give the sense of life and nature.
Treat your bathroom like spa and create a soothing atmosphere where you can detox with a mineral salt bath.
Create family spaces i.e. big sofas and multiple seating to hold everyone where you can spend time together.
Create a clutter free kitchen space for cooking healthy meals with ease and bring the family and kids into the process.
Make your home a sanctuary, create pockets of space to help de-stress and relax. Every small step makes a difference!
If you are renovating your home think about the following luxuries that will create a wellness routine: (to name a few)
Infrared Sauna – they can be as small or as large as you want.
Air filtering systems that will give you healthy air to breathe.
Water filter systems either locally installed or central home systems to provide both bathroom and kitchen water.
New appliances with technology that will help you cook, make it faster when needed, and give you time and energy back to enjoy other ways
Add a space that can be a home exercise / gym area.
Are you renovating or wanting to introduce wellness into your home
reach out to set up your complimentary Discovery Call
to talk about your upcoming project?
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Below are a few articles we thought are good reads.
From Mayo Clinic https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/stress-symptoms/art-20050987
From the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health https://nccih.nih.gov/health/stress Great tips!
Breathing and Stress Reduction
https://www.stress.org/take-a-deep-breath