If your home is your safe space, or if you’re in pursuit of creating a safe space for all, it is important to remember there is no ‘one size fits all’ approach. Curating your home to boost mental health means intentionally filling spaces with objects, designs, colours, and textures that evoke a particular feeling in response, ideally a positive one. For World Mental Health Day 2023, House & Garden SA is exploring all things home, and how to make these spaces physically inviting and a safe space for all.
Think about the last time you walked into someone’s home, an office, or public space and immediately sensed a feeling of fatigue, unease, or safety. The spectrum of human emotions ranges, but there are many approaches to evoke physical comfort and visual inspiration in our homes. Despite popular belief, mental health is not always simply responding to a situation or space in a negative or positive way. Mental health can be responding to stimuli in a way that is not typical. For example, an office that is high paced, high pressure, and extremely bland in its decor will most likely trigger a sensation of unease or stress, as a normal response (This can mean you are considered mentally healthy). But, if your response to a warm and inviting space, that is curated specifically for you is to retreat or shy away from, then this unusual behaviour would warrant some concern.
Find your Flow with dedicated spaces for work, rest, and play
The golden thread to creating a safe space at home? Know thyself. Think about what actually makes you feel at peace at home and what currently lives in your home that may be overstimulating, draining, or creating discomfort.
The ideal state you want to be in when at home is a state of flow, where things feel easy, natural, and free of judgement. Consider how your furniture within different rooms are arranged and whether they contribute to or work against a natural sense of movement in your home. Consider the lines, spaces, and pathways that are carved out by virtue of your furniture arrangements. These should contribute to not only the form and function of your life at home, but also your flow. With that being said, there are rrchitecture professionals who have coined the term “neuroarchitecture”, which describes how our brains and bodies behave when inside buildings. Think about your senses, perceptions, thoughts, emotions and actions when you enter and move about your spaces. A great way to reflect on your state of flow at home is dedicating areas in a room for functional work, resting, and play. The key here is doing it in a way that makes sense to you.
Introduce Nature By Virtue of Indoor Plants
It’s no secret that research suggests spending time in nature boosts not only our moods, but our overall wellness (and of course, mental health). If spending more time at home since our 2020 has taught us, it’s that incorporating more house plants can boost our sense of creativity, purpose, and relaxation. But, what is it about introducing these green, living organisms into our spaces? Some theories say it is because of our innate human desire to connect with other living things.
Introducing some greenery into your space doesn’t require living in a greenhouse, but finding the perfect spots in your home to place a potted plant that you will water as it needs, and will get the right amount of sunlight. The very act of taking care of a plant can be extremely meditative and soothing, especially when done with a conscious mindset of connection. Also think about nurturing indoor plants from a more hormonal perspective: Research has found a strong connection between house plants’ presence and improved cortisol levels, also called the ‘stress hormone’. If you’re big on happiness, but small on space, even micro gardening is one way to ease your way into plants at home.
Brighten the Mood with Natural Light
If you have ever experienced seasonal depression, then you’ll know how important natural daylight is for our overall mood, sleep schedule, and wellness. Winter months can be tough whereas those long summer days can make us feel much happier. That’s why amplifying the natural light your space captures is one of the best methods to help boost mental health. Of course, many aren’t in a position to knock down walls and rearrange windows, but there are a few interior fixes that can amplify the natural light you already have. Introducing mirrors opposite windows can give the illusion of a larger, and brighter space by virtue of reflecting and refracting light throughout a room (kind of like a disco ball). Or, painting walls a lighter colour that reflects light is a great way to create another sense of light both in weight and brightness of a room.
Tap into Dopamine Decor
Have you ever stopped to think that your neutral beige interiors are making you feel lethargic? Many folk are swapping their practical neutral decor for more optimistic and fun pieces in pursuit of ‘dopamine decor’ where bold colours, patterns, and textures reign supreme. If your home’s lighting feels boring and dull, then introducing some fun lighting can brighten both your home and your mood. The light in a room from new fittings, lamps, or a mirrored ball is sure to reflect your good mood and up your dopamine levels. Lovers of the dopamine decor (or dopamine design) trend have a lot of fun both creating their space, and living within their happy spaces. Creating spaces in your home that you are happy to show off and bring you joy is a cornerstone of this trend.
