“Home is where the heart is“, right?
Whether this common saying resonates with you or not, just pause right now, and take a long, slow look around (whether you’re actually at home, or your home-away-from-home, wherever that may be). Examine as though you’re a brand new guest looking for the first time at the lighting, the colors, the sounds, the furniture, the decor, and all that stuff surrounding the all-too-familiar environment.
After letting those images marinate a bit longer in your mind, is your heart singing (or sinking) right now? Are you inspired by what you see (or ashamed, and stifled)? Do you feel like you’re “coming home to yourself” when setting foot inside your personal domain?
The goal should be to eventually have your physical space reflect your best and brightest psychological space. And while you may be thinking a home re-lift sounds vain (hey, isn’t internal intention more important?!), you need to recognize that your habitat(s) are a breeding ground for your everyday habits (the good and the bad).
Think about these wise words (and tips!) from mindfulness guru, Leo Babauta:
Stay in your old environment, and your old habits will be much harder to change. But change your environment, and it’s easy.
Is Your Environment Helping Your Goals Grow (Or Go Dry)?
EFFORTLESS change. Is it too good to be true?
Think about it. If you have big goals (lose or ‘release’ weight, rock a triathlon in the future, start a side blog), which setting would you prefer of the following?
Let’s say Setting A has a mix of calming hues or colorful “pop” hues in each room, fresh plants in every corner, and a beautiful array of candles set in various areas (giving off a warm glow when lit at night). A bowl of fresh fruit adorns the kitchen counter, and the cabinets and fridge are stocked with fish, almond milk, greens of every kind, egg whites in glass containers sliced from the morning before. Your running shoes and shorts already sit neatly by the front door, ready to throw on first thing for your early morning jog. You set a soothing “lite rock” station on in the background, and start the water for that beckoning bathtub that awaits you tonight (with essential oils perched, a small glass or red wine, and Dai Manuel’s Whole Life Fitness Manifesto book) neatly on the side, offering just the inspiration (and relaxation) you need today.
Setting B, on the other hand, has both brooding burgundy walls in some rooms, and (yellowy or oatmeal-ish?) beige in others. Sprawls of random clothes adorn your bedroom floor (from all those outfit “fails” this morning), and a sitcom reruns blares from the T.V. in your bedroom. You intend to to cook something healthy (organic chicken), but you walk past the kitchen counters, and your hand can’t help but take a couple (or a handful) of M&Ms from the counter (you know, the one for “guests”). Never mind, there’s not enough time — frozen pizza will do. You start the oven. You then head to the living room, where your laptop is awaiting, already opened on the family room table (ready for researching health tips once and for all). You switch to the cushiony love-seat nearby (which makes concentrating so much easier… and comfortable, where you finally cradle in and settle your eyes on the screen. Yet all your eyes see are side ad pop-ups (new fitness clothing! Netflix reminders!) , and your fingers instinctively start clicking…
Even if none of the above is your personal ideal (we all have different feel-good [or -guilty] ventures), the right choice is obvious.
Takeaway: empower your environment with good triggers (and eliminate the bad ones).
Psychology studies have consistently proven that environmental factors are a huge (if not predominate) force in determining your actions/habits.
Your goals are essentially like seeds. We’ll use this (cliche, but still enlivening) gardening analogy throughout — because in order to see the fruits of your labor, you must first manipulate (and tend to) your ground base.
Weed out the “Bad Seeds” in Your Life
Before you can transform your home for the better, start with plucking out the “bad seeds” (stimuli that starts [and takes root in], bad habits.). Yet how do we even identify what our temptations are? Some actions you do are simply what you do day in and day out; your routines are ingrained. That’s why you have to dig a bit deeper to uncover the big ones.
This section is inspired by a fascinating article from Lifehacker writer, Thorin Klosowski. If you really want the optimize your space (and know why your brain reacts so strongly to a simple object), I strongly advise you to delve into his suggestions!
For one, think of what (potential) bad habits you partake in (or emotions that arise) at home/the office:
- Watching endless hours of T.V.?
- Being on your smartphone (or the Internet, scouring your Facebook feed and such) constantly?
- Overeating junk food (or over drinking alcoholic drinks)?
- Lashing out without reason at your significant other/family (if you live with them)?
- Compulsively shopping (online or going out to “run errands” and returning with more and more clothes, knickknacks, gadgets? )
- Avoiding your essential to-do list/main bills/etc.?
- Spending long hours sitting (and hardly exercising….unless running up and down the stairs for laundry counts, right?)
- Having a place that looks like a tornado storm everyday (messes everywhere, clutter, etc.)?
- Feeling frenzied every morning, exhausted every night?
If you can’t think off the top of your head what items/sources around contribute to these mindless behaviors, the next time(s) you find yourself doing these things, acknowledge it, and stop in your tracks. Look around at what you’re holding, eating, sitting on, looking at around that specific activity. Write it down in an ongoing list.
Later, get some boxes and load up your “dirt”. Get rid of clothes and all those things you no longer need or like. Sell them, give them to friends or family, or send them off to Goodwill. Hide items that trigger procrastination or negative emotions (stock ol’ fremeny or ex photos in basement, move T.V. to balmy basement, etc.)
Why take guilt trips all the time, when you can feel secure and centered right at home? Just remember: everything that ” swims” around your space seeps into your own inner roots — body, mind, and soul. In order to feel nourished, you need to get rid of the negative stuff first.
Get Inspired: Cultivate Your Ground Soil For Success
Before you physically add or change your setting up a bit, first play around with what things or ideas (truly) nurture you. You can then eventually bring in things that will recreate that same warm aura into your home. Let some light come back into your life again (finally!)
Begin by writing down answers to these questions (without much thought; just let your hand and heart do the talking):
- What BIG (and small) goals you want to focus on this week, month, and/or year?
- What LIFESTYLE do you want (and what specific steps you can take to get there)?
- What sights or things “LIGHT YOU UP”? (i.e., it can be as simple as amazing smelling candles, open windows, sipping coffee, indulging in your favorite novel without interruptions, etc.)
Here’s some ideas to get the growth spurts forming:
- Head to your local library and check out books/magazines that fuel you (or offer home/health/wellness tips)
- Create Pinterest inspiration boards for your home and lifestyle ideas (organization tips, fitness tips, decor ideas, people that inspire you, clothing style you’d love to embody more, etc.). Again, no one can “achieve it all”, but it’s okay to dream big!
- Think of what exercise or physical activity you’d love to build into your lifestyle. Rock-climbing, yoga, running, hiking? Buy equipment to start at home, or sign up for pass at a gym/studio to get started. Regular exercise will always leave you revitalized to return home, feeling settled and empowered).
- Think about what other spaces you’ll been to you’ve been in awe of (anything from your go-to yoga studio, to the modern dental office you go to, to the villa you stayed on a Tuscany trip). Take notes on what you loved about the vibe, ambiance, items in there.
- Unsubscribe from incessant marketing/retail emails, and only subscribe to websites/blogs that genuinely inspire you and make you feel good (it’s a great way to start your day, if you check email in the mornings).
- Research (and write lists) of what healthy foods you can stock up on (a makeover for your fridge is just as key as your living spaces. Healthy home = healthy mind and heart-space.
Get Growing! Plant Seeds of Intention
Now that you’ve started sowing your mind with positive ideas, here are a few more SPECIFIC seeds of inspiration you can sprinkle around your home:
- Make your own or print out mantras/quotes that spark you, and tape/place them in unavoidable spots (i.e., on the fridge, next to your bedstand, on your car seat or dashboard, a bathroom mirror, on an index card that can be put in your wallet for on-the go. . .wherever you main go-to locations are).
- Create a room somewhere in the house/apartment that’s so “you”, a space for thinking, creating, relaxing. Find some affordable decor (like at T.J. Maxx) to add, keep a journal in there for jotting thoughts, paint it your favorite color, etc.
- Buy fresh-cut flowers to add to your kitchen or living room every (or every other) week.
- Start habit of PRE-NIGHTLY PREPPING (set out jogging clothes by door for running in the morning, pick out work outfit, write down short to-do list, reminders, and so on). This will decrease stress, and easily increase motivation.
- Keep space as clean as possible (even though it’s not possible every day). Rather than leaving stuff and deciding to “clean up later”, take the extra minute to put stuff away — this “clears” your mind for more important things (or some R&R time) for later
- Build a MORNING and NIGHTLY routine that is an instant uplift (sip coffee andleisurely read for 15 minutes every morning? Start you a.m. jog with a powerful upbeat iPod playlist? Or at night, lighting candles, reading an inspiring book, writing in a gratitude journal? Whatever you do, just make it relaxing and all about you)
Tame Your Soil: Pick Out Weeds (and Water) Often
Last, and far from least, life is filled with both sun and storms. Just because you love your space, you will still be scared, angry, confused (or even perhaps depressed) when certain circumstances happen throughout your life. But, the grass isn’t greener on the other side — it’s green where you water it.
Take time during one day (even just a half hour) to check in with yourself emotionally. What areas of your life are going well, or poorly right now?
Let your home be your walls of willpower, and see if there is anything new to try out, or change in your home, work, or common social settings.
And speaking of taming soil, there’s no haven quite as nourishing than Mother Nature herself. Don’t get into the habit of staying too cooped up at your home/apartment, even if you absolutely love it. Find an outdoor oasis that you can turn to as many times as possible, whether you’re exercising or just getting in touch with the weather and natural beauty around you. It can be a specific trail, beach, lake/ocean. . . whatever calls to you. The natural world is always a place to call “home” (and best of all, it’s free. . .priceless). And if you can, strive to take more getaway trips once a year. Explore the world, and yet also be thrilled to return back to your home grounds.
Yet wherever you are, or go, don’t ever be afraid to live the life you imagine. And hey, a paint can or a closet purge can shape up the soul sometimes, too.
Author Bio: Hannah Fredenberg
Hannah Fredenberg is a retail copywriter with a passion (sometimes for fashion) but largely for psychology and lifestyle/wellness topics. When she’s not writing M-F about clothing and accessories, you can find her running outside, hitting up the yoga studio, or reading a book (or two) for hours on end. Check out her copy-writing portfolio at https://hannahfredenberg.contently.com/ or contact her through Twitter (@Hfredenberg) or email at hfredenberg@gmail.com
from Dai Manuel: The Moose is Loose http://ift.tt/2bvcmfS
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