Healthy Home, Healthy Mind? 5 Home Life Resolutions For A Calmer 2019
Our houses are our sanctuaries – so any New Year goals must surely start there...
7 January 2019
All Credits: PA
There’s no point setting yourself up for needless guilt and self-worth bashing by subscribing to clichéd New Year resolutions. But if a bit of healthy goal-setting as January rolls in is your bag, how about starting with some simple measures at home?
Your nest is the foundation of so much else in your life, after all. Get this right, and those positive vibes can flow through into other aspects of your day-to-day, plus there are so many home goals we can set that are relatively realistic and achievable, but still add up to a big difference.
Rather than mindlessly buying new things, take time to regularly assess what’s already in your wardrobe/stuffed in drawers and cabinets/on your shelves. Could adopting a ‘one in, one out’ rule encourage you to think about new purchases a little more, and make for a calmer, more orderly space? We’re less likely to make unnecessary impulse buys that way, plus we can keep in the habit of passing on things we no longer want or use, to somebody who will appreciate them. Good karma and less mess – double win!
2. Prioritise Good Ventilation
Mould and damp and ‘Toxic Home Syndrome’ are genuine health concerns that can sometimes be very serious, ranging from niggling coughs and headaches, to conditions like asthma and lung diseases. It’s basically about the air quality inside the homes and buildings we live in, and while sometimes there are bigger issues involved (such as factors involving the structure and building materials), ventilation plays a key part too. It’s surprisingly easy to go weeks or even months without opening windows, especially during the colder months – but stagnant indoor air, especially if you’re drying laundry indoors and using chemical-laden household products, isn’t ideal. So give the health of your home and your body a boost by pledging to prioritise a good, regular airing.
For many of us, it’s an easy way to weave some meaningful self-care and calm into our busy, over-stimulated lives and reconnect with a very basic but important human need: That our homes are our safe havens. These little practices can have a big impact on our overall wellbeing and mindset – so add ‘weekly bath’ to your home life to-do list and soak in bliss!
4. Create A Life Admin Regime
A home office might be a bit of a stretch for many of us, but a ‘life admin area’ could be a realistic addition to our homes that might help transform us into super-organised goddesses of serene efficiency in 2019 (well, you’ve got to at least start optimistically). All it requires is some sort of storage (a drawer, box, folder – whatever fits your needs) and a dedicated place for it – this is where you’ll file all those letters/statements/receipts, etc, as and when they land. Keep a log of that week’s tasks on a to-do list or planner (also kept in this ‘life admin area’), and then commit to, say, 45 minutes a week when you’ll sit down and tick off that week’s tasks.
Some days, convenience takes priority and we can’t all afford the organic market. That’s OK – just do what you can, when you can – it all adds up.
