Whether you realize it or not, everything about your home can have a direct effect on your mood, psyche, and overall health and wellbeing. Numerous conclusive studies have also confirmed this, proving that everything in your environment — from the color of its walls to its interior design and specific decor — can heavily influence how you feel, think, and see life.
For instance, something as simple as the colors and styles is known to accelerate anxiety as equally as they can fuel relaxation. No doubt, the circumstances you live in and what you come home to could dictate your outlook on life. That’s why the decor details of your home should not be taken lightly. Here are a few of the overlooked interior design choices that make a world of difference to your health.
Color Your Moods
The colors of your home can influence your mental outlook. Warm colors such as green and yellow have a psychological tendency to reinforce positivity and social communication. Conversely, cooler colors can encourage a darker mood. However, it’s important to point out that no one color fits all moods. That’s why personal choice and discretion should be the ultimate deciding factor rather than warmer or colder colors.
Ace Your Space
Studies show a more spacious environment is a vital contribution to your mental clarity, expanded creativity, and comfortability. This does not mean you need a large home by any means, though. It’s more like how you manage the space in your home that defines your mental perspective. Unnecessary clutter, appliances, or other objects can result in wasted space that could be otherwise contributing to a more serene state of mind.
Reduce clutter and wasted space by sifting through what you do and don’t need. You can even celebrate your own giving Tuesday by donating your unneeded items to your local charities. This helps you kill two birds with one stone by simultaneously opening up your home and giving back to your local community. After all, the greatest detriment to your mental health and processes can be feeling cramped in an enclosed environment.
Decorate Your Walls
You’ll also want to be selective about what you hang on your walls, as what you hang on them sets the tone of your mood and how your interior colors pop. Don’t just fill your walls to simply fill them — and don’t think you have to fill a wall just because it’s blank. Wall decor can make or break your interior colors. What are colors without good decor to properly accent them?
Illuminate Your Home
The role of lighting on visual perception can also have a profound impact on your mood and how you feel in your environment. You can neutralize or magnify your color scheme depending on the types of lighting you use. While some may associate low-light with sadness and gloom, others may associate such lighting with mystery and creativity.
On the flip side, bright lighting and natural light may also induce open-mindedness and creativity as well as happiness. However the lighting in your home — much like its color — is not a one size fits all option. You may find that low-light creates positive thoughts and happiness, which is fine. The important thing is staying true to you and your feelings, which leads to our next important aspect.
Put Your Feelings First
When decorating your home, you’ll want to be sure to strictly consider how each piece of the wall decor makes you feel. After all, how you feel about a painting, picture, or any decor is the exact feeling that will accent your interior. This implements self-psychology by asking and answering how you feel about each piece, color, or style you are considering.
Anything that you’re uncertain about should be an automatic “no.” Remember, you need to be fully satisfied and comfortable about everything you surround yourself with. Anything that draws your eye — especially anything that ignites a sense of peace and happiness in you — is an easy indicator. Ultimately, your opinion is the only one that matters when it comes to your home.
Make It Your Own
Whether it’s bright and vivid colors or cool and muted ones, natural sunlight streaming through the windows or just accent lamps, a Victorian or a modern design layout, your environment absolutely impacts your health. However, ensuring your living space feels like home is absolutely the most important attribute you can have toward a more positive and healthy life overall.
