Have you ever walked into a physical space where you felt safe, supported and nurtured? Did you stop to consider why the space made you feel this way? Now, consider your home and how you feel in your spaces there. Imagine creating a space where you can be physically, emotionally and spiritually safe and cared for. Living in a safe and supportive environment is a key to providing many things in our lives, including physical and emotional wellness. While there are many things you can change in your home to create a safe and nurturing space, let’s take a look at just 5 ways to create a home that supports many aspects of wellness in our lives.
- Remove the Clutter
Before you can think about bringing things into your space or moving objects around, determine if there are objects in your home that you do not love or use. When you look around your spaces, do you like what you see? Everything in our environment has an impact on how we think and feel. Especially consider objects that have been in your environment for a long time. These objects often blend into the background of our consciousness, and we no longer actively “see” them. Yet, they still have an impact on our energy and how we feel in our spaces. If you surround yourself with objects that do not elevate your energy, consider moving or removing them.
Much like a vision board, your home carries visual reminders that reinforce the kind of life you want to lead. Before starting any clutter clearing project, I recommend taking some time to visualize what you want your life to look and FEEL like in the future. Create a template for what types of objects, colors, and scents you’d like to be surrounded with that will support the vision of your future. Let this be your guide in determining how you want your home, its contents, and arrangement to support your mental, emotional and physical wellbeing.
- Make Your Bedroom a Sanctuary
A good night’s sleep is a foundation for health in so many ways. How well are you sleeping? Getting a good night’s sleep can be achieved in so many ways, including making sure you have a good mattress and quiet environment. Let’s go beyond these basics, though, to consider other aspects of your bedroom environment.
What are the first things you see when you wake up and the last things you see when you go to sleep? When you wake up, are you looking at a pile of clothes you haven’t put away, piles of unread magazines or books, or an image representing a low point in your life? When balancing the energy in your bedroom, consider the primary function of the room along with how you envision your future life. Reduce the number of distractions in the room. Remove as many electronic devices from the room as possible. Create a place where you can recharge from your day, physically and mentally by surrounding yourself with colors, fabrics and images that uplift your energy. Use soft, natural colors to create a warm and cozy environment. Place a vision board or inspirational poster in your direct line of sight so it is the last object you see when going to sleep or the first upon waking.
- Nurture the Heart of Your Home
Another area in your home vital to promoting your overall wellness is your kitchen. Of course, preparing food relates to our physical wellness. There is a great deal, though, that we can consider when preparing our food. Keeping our kitchens clean and clutter free are the first steps in creating a supportive kitchen area. Putting love and care into our food and its preparation adds to how well it nourishes us. When creating a nurturing kitchen, consider your table settings as mini-altars honoring your food and its source. Take a look at the images in and around your kitchen. What do you see when you are eating that reminds and reinforces uplifting emotions and ideas?
Your kitchen area, particularly the stove, is also related to the energy of abundance in your life. It holds the energy of both health and wealth and brings the family or occupants together in community. Keep your stove clean and in regular use. Use fresh fruits and vegetables to increase the vitality in the room. Create an area where you can eat without standing or watching TV, a true place of community where you can uplift the energy of health, wealth and family.
- Bring in the Energy of the Elements and Seasons into Your Home
Ideally, we would all experience lives during which we spent ample time in nature and were able to experience the harmony of nature first hand. For many, though, we often find ourselves out of rhythm with the seasons and elements. Bringing these energies into our homes will increase our sense of peace and harmony, will uplift our energy and promote a sense of wellbeing.
Bringing the elements of nature into our homes could be as simple as opening the windows, or bringing in some stones, pinecones, flowers or other objects we find outside into our homes. We may also surround ourselves with images of waterfalls, mountains, or other appealing nature scenes. Experiment with what works best for you. How would it feel to have fresh flowers in your home every week?
You may also draw this seasonal energy into your home through the use of color and light. Consider enhancing natural light sources with indoor lighting that is flexible throughout the year, depending on which part of your house receives the least light at the time. When considering color, use colors that reflect the seasons. In the fall, add more warm, harvest colors to your spaces, like reds, oranges, and yellows. These changes in your home do not need to be dramatic nor expensive. Changing a tablecloth, napkins or other small items can bring a dash of color, transforming the feeling of an entire space.
- Use Scents to Uplift the Energy in Your Home
When you think back to the most enjoyable or uplifting time of your life, what smell comes to mind? Did you enjoy any favorite foods growing up that represent to you family, safety or abundance? Tap into these feelings and their associated scents. Use them to uplift the energy of your home. When you envision your life two or ten years from now, create an entire image. Think about how your life will look, how it will feel and associate those images and feelings with your senses. What would you see, hear, smell, touch and taste?
Use essential oils or other natural scents, like flowers, outdoors, or cooking, to bring these scents into your space.
There are a myriad of ways that we can promote and enhance wellness in our lives. Connecting to and changing the energy in our homes is one way to create a stable foundation from which we can make many mindset and other actionable changes in our lives to create an inner and outer environment that is safe, secure and nurturing and that promotes wellness in our lives.
