Designing a Home That Supports Well-Being

Where you hang your hat should be your personal sanctuary. But even then, the house can become the enemy of reason as you struggle to balance work, personal life, and family life.

But if it’s all the same, a home that supports well-being can be exactly what you need to win at life.

With a sanctuary that addresses, improves, and supports physical, mental, and emotional wellness, you can begin to shape the life you desire, from natural light to the bathroom!

A Tidy Home for Mental Clarity

A tidy home is safe and helps you address external issues to process internal ones. However, even with the optimal home design for well-being, wellness often requires deeper care.

Emotional stress requires more than a safe and clean space, and professional care might be needed.

If you are feeling overwhelmed, talking to an expert at services such as Manhattan Mental Health Counseling can help you process your issues in a more meaningful way.

Natural Light Supports Well-Being

A UK survey found that 11% of people feel stressed every day, and around 86% feel overwhelmed at least once per month.

However, natural light is one of the best tools you have, and it’s free! Give the sun a chance and allow yourself to feel some of the best benefits:

• Exposure to the sun increases serotonin, which increases your sense of happiness.
• Natural light also helps keep the circadian rhythm for improved sleep patterns.
• Your body produces much-needed vitamin D when exposed to short bursts of sunlight.
• Some studies suggest that natural light helps improve cognitive function and focus.
• People with regular exposure to the sun often report a much lower stress level.

Adding Biophilic (Natural) Elements

Biophilic is a strange word. But all it really means is adding natural features to your home.

This includes introducing plant life or even animals as pets, and there are tons of documented benefits for both of these.

However, it also includes decorating with colors inspired by nature, such as greens and browns, enhanced by ambient sounds of nature, such as weather.

Soundscapes are a widely used tool for encouraging a sense of calm and improved relaxation.

A Personal Space for Relaxation

Further to relaxation, home should always be somewhere you can de-stress and take a load off.

Without a place to relax, the modern stresses of life can become overwhelming, and you can feel trapped. Work can be bad enough, and you should never feel anxious about coming home.

If possible, dedicate a space where you can just calm yourself and forget about the world. Add comfy furniture such as beanbag chairs, soft lighting, and a speaker for music and sounds.

Improved Indoor Air Quality

One of the most overlooked parts of wellness and good health is air quality. You might assume that the air in your home is healthy and unpolluted. But this is often not the case.

A stuffy home with no fresh air can be more hazardous than fresh air coming from outside in a polluted area. Air purifiers, dehumidifiers, and air conditioning will help keep your air fresh.

However, you should also open the windows for 15 minutes per day just to keep a fresh flow coming inside.

A Calming Color Palette

Color psychology plays a critical role in mental health at home. The colors and tones you choose to decorate your home with can affect how you feel.

Bold, dark, and vibrant colors can be imposing and overwhelming and should be used sparingly. According to color theory, it is best to combine these with muted tones, such as pastel colors.

Neutrals alongside muted blues and greens help promote a sense of calm in a room and can even help you feel cooler.

Smart Home Tech That Supports Well-Being

There are many smart devices available. For smartphones alone, there are over 4.3 billion users globally. Of course, there are also numerous smart home appliances that can change how you live.

The revolutionary technology in some of these devices will help you live a healthier life.

How can smart environmental controls help wellness?

Smart tech, such as thermostats, can be programmed to maintain your optimal temperature during each season. Smart ventilation systems can also maintain appropriate air quality.

Can smart tech help with sleep?

There are many ways smart tech can help with sleep. You can set lighting profiles that mimic the sun to assist with seasonal affective disorder, and sleep trackers can provide personal insights.

What are the best uses of smart tech for fitness?

Smart tech is used extensively in fitness. Smart equipment such as bikes and treadmills learn your methods and suggest personal routines, while apps can encourage more daily movement.

Does smart tech help with stress management?

Using smart assistants, you can set reminders for activities such as meditation and breathing exercises, and you can also ask them to play relaxing music or calming sounds of nature.

What mental health support can smart tech help with?

By integrating with mental health apps, smart tech offers personal interventions based on your mood or stress levels, such as suggesting music or recommending a breathing exercise.

Home Layout and Flow

The layout of a home can impede its feeling of wellness. But how?

Older designs didn’t usually take into account mental health and our relationship with where we live. In short, houses were typically built for function only back in the day.

Today, we like to live a more open life and love to feel freedom of movement. Renovating is the best way to achieve this.

However, you can also move things around to ensure the flow between rooms is graceful, effortless, and inviting.

Better Connections to the Outdoors

The flow between rooms in a modern home is pretty important. But let’s not forget that the external connections to the home are still part of it and should be included in your flow design.

For example, think about how the patio or decking can be incorporated into the essence of the kitchen and dining area or how bedrooms connect to outdoor areas.

A modern design trend is to consider the interior and exterior parts of the same overall flow to maximize the positive impact.

A Quiet Place to Meditate

Unless you live alone, it can be hard to find the peace and quiet you need. Even then, living alone doesn’t guarantee this either.

Perhaps you have noisy neighbors on each side, or above or below if you live in an apartment. This makes finding a quiet spot much more challenging.

But it is necessary to meditate or practice breathing exercises in peace. Find a spot or room as far away from disruption as possible, including noisy HVAC, and use noise-canceling headphones!

How About a Small Home Gym?

Physical exercise has been linked to a higher level of mental well-being as well as the obvious benefits for your body.

However, you can become anxious about going outside and even more so about training in front of strangers. However, a home gym is an excellent alternative.

Gym equipment such as treadmills aren’t expensive these days, and you can consider using items to spend less money. A home gym can get you into a routine and build your exercise confidence.

A Bathroom Upgrade Supports Well-Being

A study in the UK found that 43% of people often lock themselves in the bathroom to get away from stress and enjoy the quiet.

While it may not be the first place most people think of, it can be useful if that’s what you need. So, how about making the bathroom your go-to escape:

• Soothing colors such as muted blues and greens are perfect for calm and relaxation.
• More natural light will always benefit a relaxing space such as the bathroom.
• You can also install task and mood lighting to relax in the tub or shower.
• A spa-like atmosphere enhances the mood and functionality of the bathroom.
• Natural elements such as stone and wood add to the spa’s feeling of relaxation.

Creating Perfect Family Spaces

Most of the above tips provide insights into personal wellness methods. However, you can get more from life to support your own well-being by being around others.

Although it isn’t seen as a big deal these days, there are massive benefits of family time. Family connections are crucial to achieving a sense of belonging and connectedness.

A family space, such as a lounge area where you can watch movies, can help all members feel accepted, appreciated, and loved.

Summary

A tidy place to live is a critical part of wellness and a core part of a home that supports well-being.

You can also use modern smart technology to improve many aspects of your mental and physical health. Family time and space are also a critical part of a healthy home.

Taking just one of these suggestions on board will help you live a healthier life, both mentally and physically. Combined, you have an entire strategy for living the best life you possibly can.