These tips are for those of you who have struggled during quarantine.

I do miss in person socialization, nothing can replace human interaction. During this pandemic, the authorities tell us staying home is the most helpful thing we can do. I have enjoyed my civic duty. We can all make a list of how difficult quarantine life is, as we miss our pre pandemic lifestyles, or we can rethink how we live.

There has not been such an event in most people's lifetimes that has compelled them to think about how our homes are central to healing mental, physical and spiritual health. Implementing elements of Healing Homes now and post pandemic can begin with reducing clutter, clearing the slate to expose what is most important, what we love, and asking ourselves questions for rethinking how to live.

Rethinking How We Live in Our Homes Now & Post Pandemic

5 Tips for Healing Your Space During COVID-19

1.

Rethinking Clutter

Removing what no longer serves us. In doing so, we will discover what brings us joy, organizing what is most important, creating environments that reduce stress, reducing our in-home work loads and cleaning time.

Stay-at-home-orders has forced people around the world to look around our homes and reconsider what is important, what we can and can not live without. This is an excellent place to start. I am not an expert in this area and still struggle to declutter my own home. There are many decluttering, organizing programs to help guide you through this process. Find one that is right for you, start in the following areas of your home.

2.

Rethinking Work & Study at Home

More than ever before, these are the rooms or areas where we spend the majority of our time. It is important to balance technology with nature and reduce stress to think clearly.  Position yourself to benefit from a healing view of nature, whether it is an expansive view or the tip of a tree top. No view, no problem, select artwork that reflects nature, the flexibility of trees, the abundance of the ocean, the strength of mountains or the compilation of a flower.

Most importantly ask yourself, does this art make me happy? 

Try to position yourself to face the entrance of your workspace to reduce stress of others walking into your space.

If possible an open window can allow for ventilation and help balance our need for daylight.

Experiment with a variety of essential oils like citrus to boost mental clarity or rosemary to increase concentration and focus.

Manage sound with background instrumental music or a water fountain to drown out unwanted noises by adding soothing sounds.

Good ergonomics is important, when you are sitting at our computer your arms should be at a 90 degree angle to your body to reduce physical stress, you can adjust our positions by sitting on a cushion or raising the height of our computers with a block. Keep in mind that your head should be facing forward, not facing down. To insure correct positioning, raise your computer on a block, When using a laptop this will require a seperate keyboard to keep your arms at a 90 degree angle. Also, adding a block to rest your feet and adjust your legs into the correct 90 degrees angle to prevent lower back stress.

3.

Rethinking the benefits of scratch cooking

Consider the amount of money saved preparing your own food vs take out food. The pandemic has compelled people worldwide to buy and make their own food. Whether we always did or did not, this time has made us all rethink how we eat and the importance of planning, food shopping and cooking. Homemade meals put you in control of what goes into your body for a healthier diet. Enjoy aromatherapy of herbs being chopped, lemons being zested, a soup with fresh ingredients  simmering.

The idea here is investing the time to plan & organize to reduce the stress of preparing healthy food.

With proper planning, think of all the time, money and stress saved buying a cup of coffee or a snack on the go. Or the inevitable stress at the end of the day trying to plan a healthy meal. How do you implement all of this?  Refer to my article - Does Scratch Cooking Reduce Stress?

4.

Rethinking how we exercise in our homes

The lack of access to health clubs, gyms and exercise classes. Clearing an area for movement and spaciousness is critical to supporting good physical health. We can create spaces for yoga mats, weights, and other pieces of exercise equipment. This reduces membership cost, traveling time, and the stress of exposure to viruses’. These spaces can incorporate screens for online classes and a source of music to set the mood.

Allow for good ventilation and air quality with open windows and plants to filter toxins. Plants provide nourishment for the body when eaten as food, and they improve the quality of indoor air. Plants take the carbon dioxide from air to produce oxygen that humans can breathe.  Of the top plants to filter toxins, I have found the following plants to be low maintenance, Peace lily, English Ivy, Spider plant and Aloe.  Not only do plants filter the air they also bring in nature and life as a source of stress reduction and a positive Feng Shui element.

In addition to ventilation, let natural light in by removing heavy drapery and open shade all the way. Exercise spaces are the perfect areas for inspirational quotes. This can be a DIY project, anything from carving a quote in wood or jotting a quote on a piece of construction paper written with a sharpie, have fun and get creative!

5.

Living rooms: Make room for what you love

Rest, relax and rejuvenate. People worldwide have discovered what home means during this pandemic with extra time quarantining. Increases in global sales have been seen in hobby sectors including musical instruments, crafts and toys. Redesigning living rooms that center around creating, playing, reading, meditating. An environment that encourages exploration and creativity, seating arrangements that invite conversation and cozy nooks that welcome reading. Here we want to invest in organization, shelving for books, baskets for toys and creative materials. I like to refer to these areas as decorating with a purpose and meaning. Natural baskets that add texture, beautiful photo albums filled with memories, designate spaces for music stands, a table with an ongoing puzzle. I remember when my children were young, the importance of the spaciousness to spread out, to have open areas free of clutter. 

Rediscover how you want to spend your time in more meaningful and joyful ways!