De-Stressing Your Home One Step At a Time

With the new year comes the opportunity for change, new habits and best of all, a fresh start. In this week’s blog, we provide 4 easy steps to de-stress your home so you can transform everyday chaos into an oasis of calm and tranquility. Often all we need is a simple reminder on how we can easily and affordably turn our home into a sanctuary.

• Bring the outdoors in - Studies have shown that stocking your home with plants can help calm you down, create a more ambient atmosphere and they purify the air too. Invest in some low-maintenance plants like succulents, English Ivy, Rubber Tree, and Spider Plant and place them around the home so you can easily see them. In addition to the high-traffic display spots, we recommend placing plants in obscure places (like the kitchen, home office or your bathrooms) to keep the natural vibe alive through and through.

• Hide or turn off the electronics - The electronics in our lives can drain more than electricity. Surrounding ourselves with screens all day long (computers, TVs, tablets, smartphones) can take a toll on our sleep habits too. Hide them if you can, at least an hour or so before bed. Did you know that the blue light emitted from most electronics actually affects your REM cycle, so you don’t sleep as well.
• De-clutter - One of the best ways to de-stress your life is to de-clutter. You can start with a drawer, a closet, or one area of your home that seems to be a clutter magnet and set a timer. Start with 1 minutes and if momentum keeps you going, great! Sort your clutter into three piles: keep, discard and relocate. Eliminate the “discard” pile and move the “relocate” items to their proper places in the house.
• Paint it out - Colour can be a wonderful tool for making your home less stressful and more calming — and it can have a significant impact on your mood and well-being. The science is there to back up the popular notion that room colour affects stress perception, a Minnesota State University study found that red environments increase stress responses, while green and white environments do not. The most calming colours are usually in the blue family, but muted, dusty shades of other colours can also be soothing, according to Jackie Jordan, Sherwin Williams director of colour marketing.

With thanks to Brightnest.com for help with some of these handy tips.