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Mental health and wellbeing are vitally important to your life quality and your life expectancy. If you think your mental health is sub-optimal these days, it’s time to act! Taking action on mental health starts in the home by creating a supportive environment for yourself and your family.
Make Things Practical
Running a household isn’t always easy or straightforward, especially if you have a family and some dependents. When you are busy and overstretched, your mental health can deteriorate because you are not paying enough attention to your mental wellbeing. Everybody needs some alone time and mental health space to practice meditation or engage in a hobby or passion.
One of the best ways to improve your mental wellbeing in the home is to make things as practical as possible. If you find you are stressed because you are always running to the shops to get things for the house, collecting the kids from school or clubs, or constantly cleaning, you need to create a more practical system to ensure you are looking after your core health as well.
Reduce General Clutter
Clutter is one of the enemies of mental health and wellbeing; studies show that people living in homes that have a lot of clutter are more stressed and prone to mental health issues. Stress happens because the clutter demands the attention of the mind in a variety of directions, making you tenser in busy, unpredictable spaces. But there are some practical solutions to the problem.
The best way to reduce clutter is to invest in multipurpose furniture – a coffee table with some storage underneath, a cabinet or bureaux that can also store wine bottles, and storage boxes that double as drawers for our kitchen extras. One issue that dominates most homes is the issue of cables. Read this Cable Management Guide to find out more about a cable solution.
Practice Digital Downtime
If you want to promote better mental health in your home, it is best to practice digital downtime. It’s hard to remember a time when we didn’t look at our screens most of the day or check our phones for updates more frequently than we once check the time on a wristwatch. The trouble is that this level of digital engagement can have a troubling effect on the family’s mental health.
Digital downtime is about making a conscious effort to detach yourself from your devices for a period. This period can be long or short; it all depends on your habits and your general mental wellbeing. But remember, the effects of digital screens can affect you without you realizing it, so make sure you are realistic about your time away. Notice how and where your health improves.
Cook Home Meals
Home-cooked meals are excellent for your mental health, your physical health, and your bank balance. A busy family life is conducive to fast food meals throughout the week, but fast food is not very nutritious and can be expensive. Home-cooked meals take a little longer to make, but the ingredients are wholesome and a lot more affordable than take-out or processed foods.
The best way to cook home meals for your family and save time is to cook in bulk on the weekend and freeze meals throughout the week. This gives you the best of both worlds; it means that you get the convenience of a fast food meal coupled with the nutrition of a wholesome homecooked meal. This system is a win-win situation for your entire family.
Practice Open Communication
So much of good mental health comes down to communication and interaction. Some people need alone time to process their thoughts and feelings, but often it requires some communication to reflect on those thoughts and feelings realistically. Communication and interaction can be difficult for people, especially those living alone or with mobility issues.
The good news is that the world is more connected than ever before; people no longer have to rely on public transport to see their loved ones; they can simply pick up their smartphones and connect with them instantly. Similarly, joining groups and communicating with people has never been easier, thanks to video communication. Also, consider therapy is you are feeling alone.
Final Thoughts
Mental health is an important aspect of the overall wellbeing of yourself and your family. Most people consider mental health to be as important as physical health, as it impacts your quality of life in much the same way. Improve your mental health by starting with home improvements.
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