Feeling At Home– At Home

by Great Green Cleaning — April 25, 2016 in Lifestyle

Like your body, your home is your temple. What you put inside your home determines your experiences and ultimately, who you’ll become in the future. As they say: you are what you eat… but what goes for the internal also applies to the external: you reflect your environment. Making your home a beautiful place to live, where things are aesthetically pleasing but also function in a streamlined manner, will improve your well-being and bring you peace of mind. Your house-guests won’t mind either! Here’s a few tips for feeling at home– at home:

Free your space, free your mind.

Clutter is proven to have a negative affect on your psychological well-being. Acquiring possessions has become so commonplace in our culture that many people are overwhelmed with clutter and have a difficult time letting go of things they’ll never use. The only way to break free of this behavior is to learn new behaviors that balance them out.

Every time you clear up clutter from your table or counter, cabinet or closet, take a second to bask in it’s beauty and remind yourself how wonderful free space really is. You’ll notice how quiet your mind is when you look at it, compared to looking at a closet full of random things. Nothing’s worse than going to cook or put something down and having a bunch of junk in the way. Remember: free space is good!

Experience your things. Think of everything that you own as a potentially positive experience for your life. Surround yourself with things of great value that will lift you up and help you achieve your goals.

Don’t assume that you need to keep just any old thing. If you find something that you don’t use every day, every week, or every month, your first thought should be “can I get rid of this?”. Training yourself to think this every time will help you assume that getting rid of it is not just a possibility, but a priority. If you choose not to get rid of it, ask yourself again if it truly brings value to your life, and since you haven’t used it in such a long time, how likely is it that you’ll ever need it again? If you decide you can live perfectly fine, if not better, without it: throw it out, recycle it, or drop it off at your local thrift store.

Don’t leave well-enough alone.

When it comes to feeling at home, you don’t need to become an expert on the laws of Feng Shui. After there’s no more clutter, and no dirt or dust hiding anywhere, you’re free to consider the best possible arrangement for your space.

Doing a little bit of renovation can make you feel more at home. Do you like your counter-tops or flooring situation? Do you like the color of your walls? These are things you can learn to re-do yourself using the internet and asking advice from qualified people.

The smallest things can make an impact on how you feel every day; from the type of wall-switch cover you have to the lighting fixture itself. When it comes to the place you live, form and function should be equally important.

Try re-arranging your furniture in a few different ways to see what feels the best. Just because it works already, doesn’t mean there isn’t a better way. Try to center and position everything in a geometrically beautiful way. When you’re done, leave and re-enter the room to get a feel for the new arrangement.

Use space logically and efficiently– leave a clear and easy path to the places you need to go, organize things in a way that’s easy to use and remember, only keep art/decorations that really add to the room they inhabit. You’ll soon find yourself flowing from task to task in what seems like a beautiful dance, rather than an awkward endeavor. Even keeping things clean will become easier; with everything organized, you’ll quickly spot when something is out of place and you’ll know exactly what to do with it.

Some words to live by.

Cleaning and organizing are positive and beautiful things. As you get into the swing of it, you’ll find it’s actually quite satisfying to conquer clutter and keep everything in perfect order. Always treat your home with the same care and respect you wish for yourself. When you transform your space into the best possible version of itself, you’ll also transform your life for the better.