How To Improve Your Environmental Wellness At Home

Our lives may be busy and stressful, but we can still create a sense of peace, safety, and comfort in the place we frequent the most. In this post, we’re reviewing 11 ways to improve your environmental wellness at home.

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Yes, our lives are crazy. 

Gone are the days when work stayed at work and school stayed at school. Communication is 24/7 and unless you have very specific boundaries in place– that you actually stick to — you most likely continue to check-in and feel the stress of the day long after you’ve called it quits. 

Email, news, and social media all keep the fire burning. For most of us, the home is no longer a sacred retreat from these constant stressors. 

Luckily, you can reclaim this space for you and your family, by creating an environment that promotes peace, comfort, and relaxation. 

How to Improve Your Environmental Wellness At Home

Cultivating Environmental Wellness is about enhancing our connection to our surroundings and creating a place where we feel safe, secure, and comfortable.

In this post, we’re reviewing 11 tips for improving your Environmental Wellness, so you can turn your home into a sanctuary the whole family can enjoy.

Let’s get started!

1. Declutter Your Home

In my humble opinion, the more you have, the more you have to keep clean. 

Now, I’m not suggesting everyone needs to take a minimalistic approach to their home decor, but there is something to be said about displaying quality over quantity.

Keep the pieces out that YOU value most. What brings you a sense of joy or pleasure? Display these items and pack away or donate the rest. 

If you have not read this book yet, I highly recommend it:

Decluttering also includes your favorite dumping spaces, like your garage, basement, attic, spare room, mudroom, etc. 

If you’re already feeling overwhelmed, take a deep breath, and work on the spaces in small doses. No need to have them done all at once. Set aside a few minutes each day or each week to sort.

2. Deep Clean Each Room In Your Home

Periodically, give each room in your home a good cleaning, like in the spring and fall.

This goes beyond your typical weekly vacuum and dusting. Think top to bottom cleaning — Wipe the walls, door and window frames, vacuum/dust/wash the window treatments, clean glass, furniture, décor, electrical faceplates, vents, and moldings. If it’s in the room, clean it.

3. Air Out Your Home

Open your windows and get some fresh air circulating. Let the negative energy flow out and the good flow in. Even if the weather is less than ideal, crack the window for a bit each day. 

Replace air filters often and consider getting your HVAC system professionally cleaned periodically. 

4. Organize Your Home 

This type of organization is less about matching containers for your knick knacks and more about efficiency. Consider your daily life and the functions of your family.

For example, organize your entryway to make it easier for your family to get out the door in the morning and easier to return in the afternoon or evening. This will take some thought, and probably a bit of trial and error, but it’s definitely worth the time. 

Repeat this process for similar areas in your home.

5. Reduce Controllable Stressors

Take a look around your home and consider what causes you or your loved ones stress.

Perhaps this is the pile of mail collecting on the kitchen table, or the TV that is always on, or the news encroaching on family meal time. What about the biggest pain point — the space that collects shoes, coats, backpacks, purses, keys, wallets, spare change, phones, receipts, bills, etc. Wherever your family comes and goes always seems to be the worst spot. 

These hot spots are always stressful. They are difficult to keep tidy and the items provoke a little heat. Find a way to reduce the stuff here and give everything important or inevitable a home. You don’t want this to be the last thing you see when you leave in the morning or be greeted by this disaster when you come home.

6. Connect With Nature

The idea of Environmental Wellness is two-fold, meaning you’re not only cultivating your immediate surroundings, but you’re finding meaningful ways to connect and contribute to the planet. 

Making an effort to “go green” at home is much easier today than it used to be. Choose simple, natural cleaning and beauty products, reduce single-use items and waste, and reduce your energy consumption. More to come on this topic!

7. Start Gardening

Anyone can have a garden, even if it’s indoors. Growing your own herbs, food, or other plants is not only satisfying, but a great way to reduce stress. This is a wonderful way to connect with nature and a perfect use for your compost.

Gardens are a wonderful way to decorate your space, in and out. The view of a garden can be quite enjoyable. Just picture yourself sitting with a cup of tea overlooking a beautiful cottage garden — the colors, the movement, the wildlife. Given the right design, you can enjoy a garden all year long.

8. Create A Comfortable Space Outside

If you have outdoor space, then consider creating somewhere comfortable for you and your family to spend time outside. Maybe this is your garden, a path through the woods, or in the park across the street.

That primal part of us wants the simplicity and beauty that only can be found in nature. If the great outdoors has never appealed to you, consider other ways to make this connection.

9. Bring the Outdoors IN

Decorate with houseplants. Bringing live plants into your home gives your home an earthy feel, but some varieties will even purify your air giving you that added bonus.

If live plants are not your thing, then you can still find beautiful artificial greenery or flowers to decorate with.

10. Decorate with the Elements

Bring a natural feel to your home by decorating with the elements of earth, air, fire, and water. These concepts can be literal or symbolic. Get creative!

Earth

Choose natural materials like stone, wood, or metal for furnishings and decorations. This gives your home solidity and can helps ground the space.

Air

You can give your home an airy feeling, by using sheer curtains that move as you walk by just as they would caught in a gentle breeze. Having a wind chime, or some other type of hanging artwork can also be pleasing. 

Fire

Fire is easy if you’re into candles or have a fireplace, but a pop of red, orange, or yellow can signify this element as well. Perhaps a landscape of a sunrise or sunset would be lovely.

Water

Water can be achieved by adding — you guessed it — a fountain. Although this would be a wonderful way to enjoy this element indoors, it may not be practical for everyone. You can still get this effect by using décor that has similar flow, texture, or catches the light. Glass objects do quite well as a stand-in for water.

11. Treat the Senses

Keep your home tidy, free of visual clutter, yet full of things you enjoy. Fill your spaces with aromas that promote calm and relaxation. Choose soft music and conversation over overstimulating TV shows and news programs. 

Be mindful of what you see, hear, smell, taste, and touch and how it contributes to the atmosphere in your home.

It’s important to have designated spaces for work and relaxation. Set clear boundaries for your tasks, homework, even difficult conversations. We are sensitive creatures and tension can be felt by all.

Of course, no post about home would be complete without mentioning hygge. Explore this Danish concept and see where you can add a little more cozy and comfort to your space.

Your Wellness Sanctuary

Your home should be more than just a place to store your stuff, eat, and sleep. This is the place where your entire family comes to gather, connect with each other, and restore their bodies, minds, and spirits.

True, life cannot always be perfect and it does take effort to maintain a home, but making time to improve your environmental wellness is worth it. 

How do you create a sanctuary in your home? Please share in the comments below.