You might not think about it often, but thereās a good chance youāve noticed how much the state of your home can affect your feelings and stress levels. From minimalism to all-white decor, it seems every year thereās new wisdom circulating about steps you can take to rearrange your living space and improve your quality of life.
This information can easily be overwhelming, but itās important to consider with how much time we spend in our homes. And if it really makes a difference (and it does) then we should do what we can to adopt some of those lifestyle improvements, right?
Hometown Mini Storage thinks so, and we want to help you understand how to stay happy at home, as well as how your home affects your mood and what you can do about it. From organizing the space under your bed to moving unused furniture into a storage unit to make room for a home office, there are many steps you can take to make your home a place you truly love to be.
How Your Home Affects Your Mood
From light to clutter, your mood can take a hit if your home environment suffers in any of a variety of areasāsome easier to remedy than others. When your mood or mental health is on a downswing, it can impact your relationships, your productivity, your emotional stability, and even your ability to enjoy the things you love.
Here are a few ways you can curb that feeling, and move toward a better home for your health.
1. Brighten Things Up
The first step you can take involves getting more light into your room to make it bright. If thereās anything blocking natural light from entering your space, clear that out of the way. If your shades are always closed, open them up. Natural light is scientifically proven to have an invigorating effect on us in a way artificial light doesnāt.
However, if natural light is in short supply, then electric light and candles are a great alternative to shift the mood. Some living situations donāt allow for candles, of course, but if your space does allow them, itās a great way to create ambience and even add calming or uplifting scents to an otherwise dreary room.
In the worst case scenario where none of these options are available, try to step outside and bask in the sunshine during a short walk a few times a day. This alone can make a big difference in improving your mood.
2. Clean and Organize
Piles of dishes, sticky floors, and corners plugged up with mountains of trash are not conducive to a happy environment. A fast track to a more calming, welcoming household is to make sure that when youāre inside, itās clean and at least somewhat organized. Too much clutter adds a burden of stress and it can be hard to relax.
To the best you are able, try to organize your home a little more, one room or even one space at a time. Color coordinating your closet, labeling and organizing spices or ingredients, creating storage space beneath your bedāthere are endless ways to improve upon this area of your life and stay happy at home.
3. Be Mindful of Roommates and Partners
While we canāt provide a criteria for the type of people you should be living with (or who would be good for you), if you find yourself feeling apprehensive around the people who share your space, thatās probably a red flag that something needs to change. Either talk with them to create a compromise that benefits each of you, or consider changing roommates as soon as your lease and income allow for it.
4. Separate Home and Work
With the popularity of working from home on the rise, many people are finding themselves spending more time in their living spaces rather than in an office. While the elimination of a commute and casual dress code is appealing, itās important to make sure you have the home office necessities you need so your performance doesnāt suffer with the change in scenery.
Few things impact your mental health and productivity as much as containing all your activities to a single location. When determining where to set up shop, keep your bed in a different room from your workstation, and away from the space where you have fun. This separates the activities in your mind and allows you to more easily fall into the desired mood when necessary. Without that, a sense of repetitiveness can start to build, making you feel sour in the long run.
5. Color and DĆ©cor
Whether youāre repainting rooms in a house you own or updating the color scheme of bedding and artwork in a rented room, color can play a major role in how you feel in a certain area of your home. Unless youāre aiming for a specific aesthetic, there are certain colors you may want to avoid due to the effect they may have on your mood. Red tends to be really harsh, while dark blue can be sombering. Similarly, neutral tones like white, gray, and black can each have their downsides, either making a room feel too dark, or too sterile. Each of these has their place and can work well, but they need to be intentional.
Commonly reliable colors include yellow, light blue, and soft nature tones like green and brown. If painting isnāt an option, consider temporary wallpaper or wall hangings to bring together your vision.
How to Stay Happy at Home with Self-Storage
If youāve started to feel claustrophobic with the amount of stuff you have, or even if you have a modest amount of belongings but some of it just doesnāt fit with your current living space, thereās a fast and affordable way to get those things out of the way without the hassle of selling them.
Keep your items organized outside your home, but easily accessible, with the help of a self storage unit. Hometown Mini Storage offers a storage facility to keep your items from standing in the way of redecorating your home. Store just a few pieces of furniture, or move entire rooms into storage and start from scratch as you perfect the space you call home.
Find us conveniently located in
Jasper, Florida and start your home transformation today.
Your mood affects your home, and you deserve to have the best space you can!
