Your mental state affects how you see the world around you. In a busy world where life can fast-paced and stressful, it’s more important than ever to make sure your mental health is as well-cared-for as possible.
While this is not an easy task for everyone, there are a few basic tips that start in the home to help you keep on top. After all, your home is where you relax and rest. It should be a place where your mind can be at ease and you can recuperate.
Having a warm, dry and comfortable home is the best place to start. Your physical health can have a huge impact on your mental health, and vice versa, meaning your home should be healthy and comfortable.
For many people, having an untidy home can be bad for your mental health, even if you may think it doesn’t affect you. As clutter gathers your mind gets exhausted at the very sight of it, and if your home is unclean it can also spread germs and bacteria that will make you sick.
From TranquilGeek.com comes the following explanation to show you why tidying your home can make a massive improvement to your health:
The Clutter Clod-Hop: Can Your Cluttered Home Affect Your Mental Health?
If your home is in a constant state of chaos, with piles of “treasures” you have to walk around every day, there’s a higher than zero chance that you’re risking your health — both physical and mental. Or, the clutter could just be a symptom of a much larger problem, such as depression.
Chronic clutter can make you feel isolated, since you won’t want to invite people over when there’s no place for them to sit. And looking at all that mess can make you feel exhausted, leading to chronic fatigue that turns into a vicious circle.
A healthy and clean home improves your mood. So does fresh, clean air, which is why having good ventilation is very important. All sorts of things can taint the air in your home, and having a ventilation system to filter out this air and replace it with clean air is incredibly good for you.
Not only does it smell nicer, but it’s better for your skin and the less harmful chemicals and gases you’re breathing in the better. In an article on HealthGuidance.org, Jonathan Pitts explains the benefits of good ventilation:
Improve Your House Ventilation
Poor ventilation results in severe health problems mostly allergies. House that is ventilated appropriately will have an atmosphere balanced with required amounts of moisture and heat. A poorly ventilated house results in build-up of moisture in the house resulting in the formation of small wet patches on the roof.
The situation is still worse in winter season, during which the ice settles down on the roof. It is therefore essential to take necessary steps during the initial construction stage to provide free ventilation to the house. It is wise to think about ventilation in the initial planning and construction stage.
Generally, hot air travels upwards, and reaches the attic and remains there until cleared. Thus, if any ventilation facilities are provided at the top of the attic, the hot air will escape out and the room will start to cool.
Now that you have made options for the escape of hot air, you should provide an inlet for fresh air to maintain the balance. Have another set of ventilators at the bottom of the room for the entry of fresh air.
Another thing that affects your mood is the amount of sunlight you get every day. Having clean windows that remain unblocked during the sunlight hours is hugely beneficial to your health; in fact, if we don’t get enough sunlight it can cause light deprivation.
To further go into details about what that is, this is an extract from an article on Mercola.com:
How Sunlight Can Improve Your Mental Health
You are probably already familiar with seasonal affective disorder (SAD), which is depression that occurs during the fall and winter months when sunlight is scarce. An estimated 10 million to 12 million people in the United States alone suffer from SAD, while about 25 million Americans suffer from the “winter blues,” a condition not as serious as SAD but still requiring attention.
Both SAD and the winter blues are directly related to a lack of sunlight.
Serotonin (a chemical that helps regulate your mood) levels are low in people with depression and, at least one study has found, also in healthy people during the winter.
Since serotonin levels rise in your brain on days with a lot of sunlight, bright light may boost your mood by activating neurons in your brain that contain serotonin, leading to increased levels of the chemical in your brain, researchers say.
Serotonin neuron activity also tends to be higher on brighter days than darker days, even within the same season. This suggests that levels of serotonin in your brain are directly related to how much sunlight is available on any particular day.
In this most recent study, the researchers also pointed out similar findings.
“There is a high frequency of seasonal affective disorder in high latitudes where light exposure is limited, and bright light therapy is a successful antidepressant treatment,” the researchers said.
The take-home message here?
Getting minimal sunlight for prolonged periods of time can negatively impact your mood.
Let the sunshine into your home as much as you can. You can also replace your light bulbs with special bulbs called full-spectrum light-bulbs that have the same effect on you as sunshine. For those who spend a lot of time indoors this can be a worthy investment.
There is nothing more important than your own health and the health of your friends and family. Make sure you look after yourself properly and that your home is looking after you too.
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