What’s more, there are some things in and around the home which could be making your lockdown life harder. It’s time to identify them and prevent them from doing damage to your wellbeing.
Get rid of the clutter
We’re all spending a lot more time between four walls, and in this context, it’s only a matter of time before cabin fever sets in. The home can start to feel smaller, and more cluttered raising our stress levels every time we take a look around. Clutter can have an adverse effect on us at the best of times, but in a time when we’re all rather highly-strung anyway, it can make it much harder to relax and even make us annoyed or irritable. So declutter your home.
The items which you thought were lending personality and character to your home can instead make it feel smaller and more cramped. If this is the case, it may be worth investing in personal storage, even if it’s just for the duration of the lockdown. You can think a little harder about what you want to keep and what you want to sell or donate later. So organise your surroundings and delcutter you will so glad you did.
Get rid of the mess
Clutter isn’t the only thing that can get you down every time you look around your home. When mess is allowed to accumulate it can start to take a toll on your wellbeing, making it harder to enjoy your free time at home, or to concentrate when you’re trying to work. However, with the whole household sharing a roof it can be incredibly difficult to stay on top of mess, from spilled crumbs to piles of dishes and the sheen of dust that seems to accumulate far more quickly on your surfaces these days.
Instead of taking on the responsibility for keeping the home clean and tidy all by yourself, make sure that your whole family shares the load. The last thing you need is to invite extra stress or resentment into your life.
Coming together for a deep clean is a great way to make your home sparkle and help you to feel calmer and safer at home.
Limit artificial light
Natural light is a gift. It helps you to remain positive and optimistic while also easing concentration and focus when working from home. There’s a reason it’s referred to as the number one office perk! However, if you and your family spend all day and most of the night under artificial lighting this can actually take a toll on your wellbeing. Make sure you swap out heavy drapes for blinds and remove obstacles from around and in front of windows to maximise your home’s intake of natural light. If you can go out for exercise, do so as there are a host of benefits to your physical and mental health. if you are self-isolating try to use any outside space you have to get some sunlight as this can help your mood.
Repair and maintenance issues
The steady drip, drip, drip from a leaky tap. The way you seem to sink a little deeper into the sofa every time you sit on it. The patch of mould on the bathroom ceiling. The longer you leave them unaddressed, the more chance they have of damaging your wellbeing and making you annoyed and irritable.
While getting a tradesman to address these issues may be a no-go right now, you’d be amazed what you can accomplish with a little know how and a can-do attitude. Thanks to YouTube tutorials, repairing a leaky tap, repairing sofa springs and banishing mould can be accomplished yourself, giving you a great sense of fulfilment and self reliance.
Outside stress
Finally, there’s a great deal of stress in most households at the moment. Think twice before you bring more in from outside. By all means keep abreast of the latest news, but stick with trusted outlets and ignore inflammatory, clickbaity editorials designed to inflame outrage to drive clicks. The same goes for social media. Unfollow, block or mute people whom you see using the pandemic as an excuse to be toxic.
Instead, focus on the things that you’re grateful for, keep your home clean, neat and tidy and remind yourself that you’re doing your best under difficult circumstances… and that’s all anyone can reasonably ask of you!
*Collaborative post
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