5 Steps to a Healthier & Happier Home
*Collaborative post
How does your home make you feel? Hopefully, you feel safe and relaxed there, but have you considered whether your home is having a positive impact on your health and well being? In some cases, a home can become a drain on our energy and have a detrimental impact on our health. We spend a huge amount of time indoors either at home or at work, and while we usually have only limited control over our work environment, we can take steps to improve our home environment. These five simple steps can help to lift your mood, improve your health and possibly even your relationships.
1. Improve the quality of your water
The air that we breathe and the water we drink at home contributes greatly to our physical health. For example, if your water supply is hard water, then it will contain a higher concentration of minerals like calcium and magnesium which can cause blocked skin, dry pores and heavy hair or even urinary issues like kidney stones. By installing a water softener Phoenix system, you can clear the water of these deposits for a healthier and cleaner lifestyle.
2. Create social spaces
Our modern lifestyles mean that often a lot of our communication happens via technology, even with our loved ones, sometimes when we’re in the same house. However, being social with other humans and having strong bonds with our family and friends is crucial to our well-being. Therefore, you must have areas in the home where you can sit with people, share a meal or a drink, talk about your day and have a conversation. This could be a dining room, a conservatory or a seating area in the garden, but ideally, it should involve minimal technology which could distract you from eye contact and emotional connection.
3. Dedicate an area for work
If you are one of the increasing number of people who work from home (even occasionally), you should try to dedicate a special area in the home for work. When you let work into your home, it becomes difficult to draw the line between home and family and work. Ideally, this would be a spare room which you can close the door on at the end of the day, but it could be a desk which is partitioned off by a curtain, or you could create a garden office with insulation and heating.
4. Clear the air
The air you breathe at home could also be tainted with toxins thanks to the number of chemicals contained in paint and sealants as well as the dust, damp and mould. In some cases, this can lead to breathing problems and allergies. You should be vacuuming regularly to minimise toxins and dust, but you may also want to consider investing in an air purifier.
5. Maximise natural light
Getting enough exposure to natural light is important as it helps to maintain a healthy circadian rhythm, i.e. balancing our mood, hormone levels, and regulating our sleep cycle. To maximise the amount of sunlight in your home, you should clean the windows regularly, open the curtains, use plenty of strategically placed mirrors and cut back foliage which could block light out. If you want to make more drastic changes, you could even install a skylight in your bedroom or add a conservatory.
