By portermathewsblog
We all want to live in a happy home where we can relax and feel good. However, what makes you happy at home, or in your life, is very subjective, and you have to find your own recipe for happiness. As I mentioned recently, being surrounded by beautiful art does make some people happy. Others might find happiness in using bright colours and energy oils in their home. Or, maybe, being organised and living in a tidy house is your take on happiness. Often, it is the simplest pleasures that make us feel good. To be happier at home does not have to be expensive.
The only thing it requires is for you to take action and change something if you do not feel well. So follow the advice of the British politician and writer Benjamin Disraeli, who said, “Action may not always bring happiness, but there is no happiness without action.”
Tidy up and declutter
As Marie Kondo explains in her bestseller, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, a tidy and uncluttered home can make all the difference to your life. Once you get rid of physical clutter, your mind will free up as well. And, as a consequence, you will be able to focus on more meaningful things and eventually improve your lifestyle. Once you have experienced the impact of a tidy home on your wellbeing, you will never want to go back to a cluttered house.
Find out more about Marie Kondo’s philosophy
Write a happiness journal
Find out more of what makes you happy by writing a happiness journal. Writing about joyful experiences will help you stay positive and foster creativity. Each night, capture what made you happy during the day. Explore different areas of your life that affect your happiness. Set monthly objectives to work towards being happier at home and in your life.
Buy fresh flowers
Add a touch of colour and happiness to your entrance hall, dining table or kitchen bench with a bunch of fresh flowers. Use the happy colours yellow and orange to make you feel good. Buy a big bunch from a flower market and divide it to embellish several areas in your home at the same time. Arrange single stems in small glass containers next to each other to create a beautiful display. You could also find quirky containers, such as old teapots, for example, to show off your flower arrangements.
Browse a wide selection of dining tables on Houzz
Make your bed
I work a lot from home and can’t be creative or productive if I know that my house is messy. Therefore, I make my bed every day. Making my bed takes only a few minutes, and it has a positive effect on my wellbeing. Start with these little things to experience how a tidy space can increase your happiness level at home.
Relish in the simple pleasure of fresh sheets
Use the power of smell
Aromatherapy can reduce stress and anxiety. According to aromatherapist Julie Nelson, the citrus family of oils – also called energy oils or happy oils – are a great way to enhance your happiness at home. Essential oils can be used as room or body sprays, for baths and foot baths or as oils, substituting conventional perfumes. The most important thing is that you enjoy what you are using. Go with what your nose tells you.
9 smells that’ll boost your health
Display your favourite objects
I am a big fan of a tidy home, but I also love buying and collecting beautiful things. As Gretchen Rubin puts it her book, Happier at Home, “buying things is a way to engage with the world.” And if we only buy things that are meaningful to us, they become precious and valuable. You can engage with your belongings by simply using them or just seeing them and being reminded of a precious experience from the past. I love displaying my favourite books with selected pages open. Every time I walk by, I read an inspirational quote or see a beautiful image. Decorating interesting vignettes with objects and colours you love will make you feel happier at home, too. Change your displays as often as you like for some decorating fun.
Introduce feng shui principles
Optimise the energy flow in your home. Research Houzz for feng shui specialists to help you determine which energy you need to add or remove in each of your rooms to optimise the feng shui. In keeping with this harmonising philosophy, you should also repair everything that is broken or discard it.
Feng shui for beginners
Dress for success
Are you wearing the same stuff every day? In busy lives, people can often get stuck with wearing the same old T-shirt, jumper or jeans. It seems to be easier to stick to what is familiar than try something new. But according to psychologist and author Fiona Robards, how we project ourselves to the world has a strong reciprocal relationship with our self-confidence and happiness. If you’re not feeling happy about your wardrobe, and if you don’t know what to wear even if your wardrobe is overflowing, maybe it is time to step out of your comfort zone and engage a personal stylist to help you boost your self-confidence. Choose someone whose style you like and with whom you can connect.
Upgrade your closet space with the help of a storage designer
Spend quality time with loved ones
Spend more time with the people who are close to your heart. Schedule quality time with your partner, your children, and your best friends. Often, these quality times are neglected and slide to the bottom of our to-do lists because we are so busy juggling our daily lives and chores. But think about what will be more meaningful and memorable to you years from now: getting your daily chores done or spending time with your loved ones?
Work with to-do lists
Write things down to externalise your memory to your environment. Every time thoughts interfere with what you are doing, write them down. This will help prevent you from feeling overwhelmed, and will help you stay organised and on track with your daily jobs and tasks. Essentially, you will be clearing your brain from mental clutter. Break down big tasks into smaller steps to make them less overwhelming. If you have sleepless nights, use a beautiful notebook on your bedside table to capture your ideas when they occur. As my most creative time is early in the morning, I love the notepad ‘3am’ from kikki.K.
12 list-making strategies to put you ahead of the game
Practise gratitude
Think about a person you shared a joyful experience with. Show your gratitude and happiness by sending this person a handwritten ‘Thank You’ card. You will both feel happy about it. Keep a box of beautiful cards at home so you have one at hand if you are in the mood for writing.
10 ways to give thanks to your home