With recent scientific developments now proving what ancient cultures have known for years - that how you organize your living space, and what you do in it, can deeply impact your mood and wellbeing – seasonal mindfulness is an emerging practice. This can help you to keep feeling positive and balanced, whatever is happening in your external environment.
Seasonal mindfulness, where you respond to the changing of the seasons and the times by observing what is happening and take action to respond positively to it, can make a huge difference to your sense of contentment and wellbeing. Nowadays, it is important that your home can be a refuge where you can rest, relax and restore yourself. In fact, the process of turning your home into a sanctuary can actually be deeply satisfying and beneficial for you too! Here we give you some tips on turning your house into your own sanctuary.
Image: Architectural Digest
Create your own indoor heaven
If the inside of your home doesn’t feel like it restores and relaxes you, this can have a hugely detrimental impact on your mental health. This is particularly true during the winter months because we tend to spend more time indoors. However, with the pandemic, we are living, and us having to spend increasing amounts of time at home, this detrimental impact can happen during any season or time of the year now.
One of the first things to get sorted in your living space is to declutter and discard what you no longer use. As Marie Kondo has taught us, the act of decluttering and discarding is extremely beneficial. It allows us to create space for new things and creates a calmer, more relaxing environment for you to inhabit. The process of getting rid of things from your space can also be deeply liberating, allowing us to move on from the past.
Image: Pinterest
Make the process mindful by doing it on your own, setting aside plenty of time and without other distractions around. When you find yourself wondering whether or not to keep something, just take a breath and ask yourself: ‘Does this bring me joy? Why do I feel I need it? What is it that I’m holding on to?’. When you are getting rid of things, just ensure you discard things responsibly by having a garage sale; giving them away to charity, or taking what can’t be used again to your local recycling centre (Recycle Aid have a lot of great tips about what can be recycled and where you can recycle).
Feng Shui
If you want to really embrace seasonal mindfulness, you could also try using the principles of feng shui, the ancient Chinese system of organising your home, to maximise light, energy flow and space. The Feng Shui Society describes how ‘[o]ur response to the atmosphere of each room may influence our mood, thinking, energy levels and more.’ Feng Shui can, therefore, help us feel more mindful and relaxed in our homes, making our home a true sanctuary during these hard times.
Image: The Spruce
Reembace your outdoor space
Before paying attention to your outdoor space and reembracing it, the most important thing to know is that this will be as beneficial for you as the results of the action. Therefore, you shouldn't make the experience unpleasant and, if you are working on your garden, make sure to use the right tools.
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This is a guest post by Evelyn James. The opinions expressed by the guest writer are hers alone and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Academy. We bear no responsibility for the accuracy of any of the information supplied by the guest writer. This work is the opinion of the blogger.
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