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Eliminate unnecessary items, purchase flowers, and paint the walls in a light shade.
Why are the conditions in which we live important?
Scientists have been studying environmental psychology for over 50 years to understand how the environment affects people’s internal state. This field, also known as the psychology of the environment, has amassed a wealth of knowledge about how the homes and apartments we inhabit can either compromise or enhance our mental wellbeing.
Research has practically proven that loud environments with poor ecology and neglected apartments with constant maintenance issues harm both mental and overall health by causing chronic stress.
Moving to a quieter neighborhood with low levels of pollution or a spacious home with a view of natural beauty is the best option in such a case. However, there are simpler ways to make your living space comfortable for your mental health. Here are some of them.
TIP #1 – Regularly clean up and get rid of unnecessary things
Psychologists argue that laziness is not the sole reason for people living in unkempt houses. Some people struggle to tidy up due to the magnitude of the mess, causing them to feel overwhelmed by the amount of energy required for cleaning. This fear of the task leads them to constantly put off cleaning.
Reluctance to get rid of unnecessary things may cause one to have an inability to handle clutter. The person may associate the objects with pleasant memories, find them aesthetically pleasing, or fear that they may need them in the future.
Psychologists recommend that individuals living in disorder take corrective action regardless of the reason. Studies indicate that a cluttered environment adversely affects an individual’s internal state, impacting multiple areas simultaneously.
- Mess increases the level of cortisol – the stress hormone. As a result, it becomes more difficult for a person to relax and rest.
- Distracts and scatters attention, hindering focus on work and other important matters.
- It enhances the tendency towards procrastination and possibly impulsivity. As a result, it becomes more difficult for a person to control their spending and eating behavior. Researchers from Cornell University have found a correlation between a tendency to live in clutter and a love for fast food.
- It reduces the quality of life and satisfaction with it. Psychologists explain this by saying that people living in poorly organized spaces are forced to spend a lot of time looking for things they need, which means they do not have time to communicate fully with loved ones, engage in hobbies, go for walks, and relax.
These tips will help you enjoy cleaning and decluttering more while also reducing exhaustion.
Don’t try to bring order in one try.
If you haven’t cleaned up in a while, the task’s scale will probably overwhelm you.
Designate several areas in your apartment, including the kitchen, bathroom, living room, bedroom, closets, pantry, shelves, and balcony. Promising yourself to spend an evening tidying up one of these areas once a week or more frequently, if your schedule allows, will make the task seem achievable and easier for you to begin working on.
You should also carry out an analysis of clutter and eliminate unnecessary things in several stages.
- Throw away all broken, spoiled and completely old things: a non-functioning alarm clock, expired food and cosmetics, worn-out clothing. It’s easiest to part with such junk.
- Analyze which of the remaining items you haven’t used in at least a year. Most likely, you don’t need them, but it’s a shame to throw them away. In this case, psychologists advise looking for charitable organizations where you can donate all unwanted items. It will be much easier to part with them if you think of it as helping others.
- If you are unsure whether you need something, put it aside for a while. And don’t scold yourself for it: you are not required to make all decisions immediately. This way you will relieve yourself of unnecessary psychological tension.
- Now you have things that you like and often use left. You can now start organizing them – cleaning, putting them in their places, and so on.
Be kinder to yourself during the cleaning and decluttering process.
Do not be ashamed of living in disorder for so long. Amplifying negative emotions through self-criticism will require a lot of effort to fight.
Praising and rewarding yourself more often is better. Treat yourself with something delicious after cleaning the fridge. Watch your favorite TV show after donating some clothes to a charity organization.
After finishing cleaning and getting rid of unnecessary things, start forming a habit of orderliness.
Set yourself a goal to always put things in their place in order to achieve this. Pay attention to the positive emotions that a life in order brings about for you. Do you enjoy having chairs free of clothes piles? Is a clean kitchen table without piles of dirty dishes pleasing to you? If your answer is yes, becoming neat will be easier for you.
TIP #2 – Use Biophilic Design Principles
Architects and interior designers are currently following a fashionable trend that advocates for incorporating many natural or nature-inspired elements in rooms where people spend a lot of time. This design principle aims to improve mental health and help individuals cope with stress.
The idea is that interacting with nature, such as taking walks in the park or by bodies of water, improves mood and calms the nervous system.
Buying as many indoor plants as possible is the most affordable way to add biophilia to your interior. Studies indicate that indoor plants have an anti-stress effect, lowering anxiety levels.
Norwegian scientists reported that greenery enhances cognitive abilities requiring concentration, as a brief observation of natural objects induces relaxation, allowing the restoration of attention-concentration resources.
To get closer to nature, one can increase the amount of natural wood in the interior by purchasing wooden furniture, replacing laminate with parquet, and adding decorative elements made of wood or bamboo. This approach is more complex and costly.
TIP #3 – Add more softness and smooth lines to your interior
Iranian scientists have concluded that residential spaces decorated with curved lines and rounded angles evoke more positive emotions. They reached this conclusion after analyzing the electroencephalograms of volunteers who were shown photographs of spaces decorated in various styles.
American scientists conducted an earlier study in 2010 that coincides with these data. They discovered that being in rooms with plenty of soft and rounded lines improves the function of the prefrontal cortex of the brain, which is responsible for emotions, impulsive behavior, empathy, and even heart rate control.
In simpler terms, when there is something soft and wavy around us, we become a little happier, calmer, and friendlier.
Psychologists attribute this to our distant ancestors who associated round or curved shapes with edibles such as eggs, berries, and fruits, or with safety. On the other hand, they perceived sharp and angular objects like stones, teeth, and predator claws as a potentially lethal threat to their lives.
To use this data easily, you can surround yourself with as many soft objects as possible. For instance, you can purchase an oval table for the kitchen, add more round or even ball-shaped lamps to the interior, and, of course, include more pillows.
TIP #4 – Increase natural lighting
Studies demonstrate that natural daylight exposure improves mental well-being.
The production of serotonin, a neurotransmitter involved in mood regulation, increases with exposure to light. This lowers the likelihood of experiencing sadness and depression and promotes better sleep patterns, resulting in increased alertness and productivity during the day and reduced fatigue.
Therefore, environmental psychology specialists usually recommend choosing apartments on the sunny side with large windows to ensure that the living spaces you inhabit receive maximum light.
Design techniques can make even an apartment with north-facing windows brighter. For instance, you can hang a couple of mirrors in the room to reflect the incoming light and amplify it. Additionally, shiny interior objects will also do the trick.
Choose warm light colors such as beige or creamy for your walls, as they reflect and enhance natural light.
TIP #5 – Surround yourself with what you like
Scientists state that when experiencing things we consider beautiful, we undergo a complex of positive emotions, ranging from satisfaction to complete delight, enhancing our quality of life, improving our mood, aiding in calming down and regaining composure after a difficult day. Therefore, it is necessary to keep our home clutter-free and avoid turning it into a lifeless space.
Decorating your home only with things you genuinely like and that bring you joy is advised by psychologists. It’s suggested to ignore whether they conform to current fashion trends or whether other individuals consider them unsightly. Your own feelings matter more than the perspectives of others.
Your psyche benefits greatly from things related to your childhood or family, particularly if you live far away from your loved ones. Reminders such as photos and small interior items given by grandparents provide the reassurance that you are not alone and have someone to rely on, helping you overcome difficult periods in life.
When things remind us of unpleasantness, we should get rid of them as they can cause negative emotions and increase stress
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