Our home environment can affect us in so many ways, it can influence our mood, impact behaviour, motivation and productivity levels or either create or reduce stress depending on how on top of it you are!
For these reasons and many more, getting your living conditions just right can have a huge impact on both our emotional and physical health. This article will give you some top tips on how to maximise your living space to bolster up your mojo and zest for life!
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Getting rid of clutter
Having lots of clutter around is a sure-fire way to sap your mojo.
Living in a cluttered environment can actually negatively impact our behaviour and motivation to act.
For example, if you walk into a messy hallway in the evening with shoes, bags and other items strewn across the floor, there is less of an incentive to keep things tidy and put things away, which eventually results in even more clutter and mess.
However, if things are neat and tidy, it encourages you to keep it that way, as well as helping you to think more clearly.
Lighting conditions
Having a lot of natural light in the room greatly affects both our mood and productivity. It helps us feel more optimistic as well as achieve better cognitive clarity. One study showed that people who experience natural daylight at home or in a working environment are both healthier and able to better regulate their mood.
Being exposed to natural light throughout the day also helps us to sleep better, as well as feel more energised during the day. It is also known that natural light helps our metabolism to work more efficiently, having a healthy impact on the way that the body uses and stores food.
Setting the mood
When the sun sets for the day, creating the right environment at home in terms of lighting is in our hands. Having bright main lights on in the evening can be overstimulating to the body and interfere with the body’s natural processes involved in gearing us up for a restful night’s sleep. Using dimmer switches, lamps or lighting candles can greatly help to soothe the mind and wind down for the evening.
Pleasant aromas
Investing in an oil burner and some tea lights is another great way to positively alter the environment at home. Burning incense oils such as rosemary or orange can help to stimulate and enliven the senses whereas lavender or sandalwood will calm and relax.
The sound of water
The sound of trickling water features or the crashing waves of the sea is said to bring many psychological benefits and play an integral role in mental health, it is incredibly soothing, and it helps to ease feelings of anxiety.
Investing in an indoor water feature would be a great way to create a tranquil and calm environment in your home, and many of the designs available also double up as an eye-catching and artistic display, which also plays a role in boosting our mood. Listening to a CD of nature sounds is a great way to bring the soothing sounds of crashing waves or flowing rivers into our home.
Colours
The colour scheme in our homes is another factor greatly influencing our mood.
Studies show that colours such as beige, white and grey can elicit depressive feelings, most likely owing to their dull and bland quality.
The way we are affected by colours is actually influenced by our gender. While women are more negatively influenced by dull and bland colours, men are more adversely affected by orange and purple colours.
Colours with a low wavelength are said to have a much more positive impact on the brain. Colours such as blue and green can actually help increase focus and productivity, whereas yellow is said to help inspire creativity.
