If you have recently moved or are just feeling lackluster about your space, it may be time to make some adjustments. Our physical environments are very important to mental health, so it would behoove you to make your home one that reflects happiness, health, and hope. Lighting, decor, and even paint color can all play a role in your mood and your mental health.
If you are feeling like your house or apartment is not quite homey enough for you or you do not feel comfortable and safe, consider employing some changes in your space to help aid that. If you want to make your house more of a home, here are five things you can do.
1. Make Something Great on the Cheap
One great way to enhance your space is to DIY something useful and that you will be proud to have. Taking up woodworking is a surefire technique for learning how to make beautiful, artisanal, and functional furniture that will instill a sense of pride in you when you see it.
Pick up a router table top to help you cut and shape wood to make coffee tables, china hutches, and bookshelves. Having something beautiful that you made with your own two hands will add more emotional value to your house and make it feel much more like home.
2. Keep It Clean and Maintained
A cluttered house is not one that will inspire comfort and joy. For that reason, you should always keep up with your chores and cleaning tasks. You should also make sure you stay on top of your house maintenance and fix any uneven floorboards, scratches and knicks in paint, and leaky faucets.
Having a house that is well-kept and functional is a wonderful way to make your environment feel much happier and healthier, which will make you feel that way too.
3. Pay Attention to Lighting
Paying attention to your lighting levels, especially in rooms where you spend a lot of time, is an important way to make your space feel better overall. If you find you are struggling with depression symptoms, especially in colder and darker months, consider getting a sun lamp, which emulates sunlight and can help with symptoms of seasonal affective disorder.
4. Fill Blank Walls
If you look around your house and find that many of the walls are blank or have very little decoration, that is an easy fix. Hanging up art and photos on your blank walls is a cost-effective way to bring more joy and pleasantness into your home and make things feel a little cozier. Hanging art does not have to be expensive.
You can get cheap canvas prints online of a variety of subjects and designs that match your style or suit your home’s decorative themes. Buying them online cheaply means you can get more than you ordinarily would, so consider buying several sets of prints and switching them out seasonally to give your home a breath of fresh air every three months.
5. Fill Your Home With People
While it may sound cheesy, there is a chance your house does not feel like a home because there are not enough heartbeats in it. Consider creating more traditions with your friends or family, or even taking on a roommate if you need to.
Anything that can get more love and chatter to fill your house will make it feel much homier and can drastically improve your mental health. Don’t be lonely; invite pals over for pizza or have a weekly card game night. You won’t regret it.