Is your home a haven or a source of stress? Our homes are where we go at the end of a long, tiring work day. They are where we retreat and hunker down when we are sick. Hopefully, they are a source of joy in our lives. Too often, however, our homes become an additional source of stress instead of providing a respite from it.
Our home environment is important to our overall health and well-being. In fact, IIN has identified home environment as one of the areas of primary food (i.e. one of 12 areas in our life that feed and nourish us "off the plate").
Before diving in further, let's define home environment. Your home environment is any aspect of your life that contributes to your living condition and the space you inhabit. In addition to being the place where you literally wake up each day, this can include your neighborhood, people you interact with regularly, green spaces near you, and your city, state and other extended communities.
Having a clean and comfortable living environment reduces stress and allows you to have the space and peace to reflect and feel safe.
Remember that as bio-individuals, we will all approach home environment in different ways. Some people prefer a very uncluttered and minimalistic home while others gain happiness by being surrounded by special collections of items that bring joy. Some people love the hustle and bustle of city life, while others prefer and thrive in quiet, more rural settings.
Take a moment to think about your current home environment. How does it make you feel?
Consider your ideal home environment. What would that look like? How do you want to feel physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually in your home?
Does your current environment inspire and support you or does it exhaust and drain you?

Here are some ideas to get you on your way to improving your home environment.
Create a vision board for what your dream home environment would look like and feel like. You could include photos of gardens, color schemes, cozy reading nooks, etc.
Tackle order and organization. If your space is cluttered, it is likely going to add anxiety and stress. Carve out some time, even if it's just 15 minutes a day, to purge and donate unused items and to find homes and spaces for what you will keep. Removing things can unlock energy flow and bring a sense of balance, lightness and relief.
Clean the air. Purifying the indoor air quality can improve the energy of your space and keep you breathing easily. Can you open your windows for fresh air? If not, consider how you can burn sage or use sunlight to improve air quality.
Put inspiration on your walls. Add color or artwork to your space or fill your walls with special photos of family and friends.
Create a cozy sleep space. Invest in sheets and blankets that you love. Be sure to have drapes or curtains that block the light so you can rest well. Make your bed so you can come home to a tidy space when it's time to rest.
Organize your pantry and kitchen. This will increase the likelihood that you will cook healthy meals at home. Consider using Mason jars to organize. They are pretty and reduce the chances of purchasing items you already have.
Connect with nature. Try adding houseplants to your home, plant an herb garden for your windowsill or position your desk or favorite chair near a window so you can look outside and see birds and trees.
Get to know your neighbors. This can feel intimidating, but how nice it will be to be able to greet your neighbors by name as you take a walk around the block.
Join a club or organization. Find people in your community who share some of your interests and spend time with them working towards common goals or practicing skills together. The relationship between involvement and personal development is statistically significant.
Volunteer and/or invest in local or national issues of importance to you. This could look like letter writing, calling your elected officials to express opinions about issues or petitioning. You will feel inspired and accomplished when you take action around your values and beliefs.
Do you feel inspired to tackle your home environment in new ways? What ideas are tugging at you? Where do you feel led to take action?
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