Home Improvement
Your home is meant to be a reprieve from the hectic pace and jarring patterns of the modern world, but unless care is paid to the layout and features of that home, you might instead find yourself in a setting that only makes you more anxious. Here are some ways to make your space peaceful.
Build a Zen Garden
Image Source: Flickr
A Zen garden is not typically a garden with flowers. Instead, it is a garden composed of sand and rocks, something like a child’s sandbox. Instead of the ubiquitous pail and shovel, however, a Zen garden often has a rake nearby, used to draw patterns in the sand and to manipulate the rocks. Zen gardens can also incorporate surrounding greenery or a water feature. Spending time in a Zen garden helps remind you of the movements of the world around you and the cycles of existence.
Clear the Clutter
To be an ideal space for thinking and work, a home needs to be free of piles of useless stuff. Periodically go through all the stuff in your home. Tossing, selling, or donating your old possessions makes your space feel open and fresh, instead of clogged with the weight of the things you own. But don’t just limit yourself to items you or your family have outgrown. If you are setting up a home office or other workspace, for instance, you should strongly consider ridding it of distracting items like the television or any computer or smart device not needed for the kind of work you will be doing.
Improve Your Driveway
Image Source: Pixabay
For far too many homes, the driveway is simply an ugly stretch of concrete on which you drive or park your cars. And if all you are interested in is function, that is fine. But if you really want to improve the calming aura of your home, it starts with the first part you will use when coming home from work. Creating an extended paved driveway makes the entrance to your home feel warm and open, giving you that welcoming feeling any time of year. With the right plan, your renovated driveway can radically alter how you think about your house.
Open Your Windows
Keeping windows closed is a matter of habit for many, but if you are concerned at all about the air quality inside your home, staying shuttered may not be the best course. Opening the windows during temperate times of the day lets you keep the air inside your house fresh by trading out the old air for the new. Of course, you will want to shut off your heating, ventilating, and air conditioning system while the windows are open, both to reduce wear and tear and to bring down energy usage.
Your home should be a reflection of your innermost self, so what does it say when that home provokes anxiety instead of calm? Spending time making your home a source of relaxation is a tangible way to improve your life.
