November 2019
As the days get shorter, sometimes our outlook and mood can suffer from the lack of light. Here are a few tips to help make you indoor space warm and inviting and even happy.
When we imagine ways to make ourselves happier, we usually think of doing something fun, and we don’t normally pay attention to what’s going on in our own home. However, your home environment can greatly impact our mood, and there are a number of ways you can make your home a happier place. You don’t need to spend a bunch of money or redecorate to get your apartment to have a happier vibe — instead a few quick tweaks can help bring up the mood and have you feeling more relaxed.
“Your environment can impact your mood,” says clinical psychologist Dr. Lamees Khorshid. “Your brain is constantly scanning the environment and sending messages to your brain. You take in information through what you see, hear, touch, and smell. This information is translated in your brain and to your cellular system to produce either positive or negative emotion.”
Naturally it only makes since to fill your personal space with things that evoke positive emotion. Although everyone has different personal preferences, there are some little tricks that science shows can help almost everyone.
1- Use pictures, paintings, posters or screen savers, or other imagery that have positive feelings; places you have been that were relaxing, or images of places you dream about visiting; pictures or paintings of quiet natural spaces; photos of your favorite people, including your fur friends, and don’t ignore the small notes of uplifting messages, it may seem corny and new-agey but the science behind these small changes stimulate feelings of joy even at a cellular level.
2-Listen to music, in the house, in your car, on the bus with ear buds. Mood music can elevate your happiness, while calming music can reduce your stress. A study from the Journal of Positive Psychology found that people who listened to upbeat music could improve their moods and boost their happiness.
3-Create a ‘sacred space’, a space that feels quiet and calming, a space that has plenty of natural light (if possible), some plants, incense or scented candles, and is away from the desk where you keep your to-do lists, bills and other busy work. Just 10 minutes a day can change your mood dramatically.
