Home Styling Tips to Help With Anxiety
See how you can arrange your home to help keep nervous feelings at bay
Uncontrollable worry, lack of sleep, pounding heart and trembling hands. These are just some of the debilitating symptoms that come with anxiety. I’ve struggled with anxiety for some time, and while there are many ways to keep it in control, for me it all starts indoors. Home is where I can take deep breaths and switch off from my triggers. It’s where I don’t have to act calm on the surface, while paddling away furiously underneath like a duck. In fact, for most anxiety sufferers, there really is no place like home. With this in mind, here are some tried and tested tips I’ve implemented around my home to help calm me, along with some professional advice from experts who specialise in anxiety and wellbeing.
Eliminate clutter
Objects that are out of place are something people with anxiety tend to add to their mental to-do list, increasing their sense of worry. “The brain is agitated by mess and busyness, while order, patterns and symmetry help it to relax,” says Munro. “Not only does having a tidy home make it easier to stay organised, it gives a sense of satisfaction, which becomes a powerful antidote to anxiety.”
TIP Clear out clutter by adopting the habits of people who always have tidy homes.
Objects that are out of place are something people with anxiety tend to add to their mental to-do list, increasing their sense of worry. “The brain is agitated by mess and busyness, while order, patterns and symmetry help it to relax,” says Munro. “Not only does having a tidy home make it easier to stay organised, it gives a sense of satisfaction, which becomes a powerful antidote to anxiety.”
TIP Clear out clutter by adopting the habits of people who always have tidy homes.
Let there be natural light
According to the book The Stress-Free Home by Jackie Craven, the lighting you choose can have an enormous impact on your physical and emotional wellbeing. “Artificial lighting is very different from the light generated by the sun, so try and capitalise from the amount of sunlight that enters your home,” says Craven. I find this advice is most important during the winter months when we tend to spend less time outside.
TIP Place furnishings near windows to make the most of the natural light.
Keen to boost the daylight in your home? Check out these clever ideas
According to the book The Stress-Free Home by Jackie Craven, the lighting you choose can have an enormous impact on your physical and emotional wellbeing. “Artificial lighting is very different from the light generated by the sun, so try and capitalise from the amount of sunlight that enters your home,” says Craven. I find this advice is most important during the winter months when we tend to spend less time outside.
TIP Place furnishings near windows to make the most of the natural light.
Keen to boost the daylight in your home? Check out these clever ideas
Bring the outdoors in
“Flourishing indoor plant life reflects ties with the natural world,” says Craven. “They have a greater purpose than just being aesthetically pleasing. Ultimately, the residual effects of indoor plants will overflow into a calm and centred wellbeing.”
Research by Dutch scientists found that hospital patients with indoor plants in their rooms reported lower stress levels than patients without them.
TIP Create a sense of calm by having the weeping fig (Ficus benjamina) in your home, which is renowned for improving indoor air quality.
Want to bring in some houseplants? Here’s how to get closer to nature
“Flourishing indoor plant life reflects ties with the natural world,” says Craven. “They have a greater purpose than just being aesthetically pleasing. Ultimately, the residual effects of indoor plants will overflow into a calm and centred wellbeing.”
Research by Dutch scientists found that hospital patients with indoor plants in their rooms reported lower stress levels than patients without them.
TIP Create a sense of calm by having the weeping fig (Ficus benjamina) in your home, which is renowned for improving indoor air quality.
Want to bring in some houseplants? Here’s how to get closer to nature
Dedicate space for solitude
One of the main things people with anxiety tend to worry about is how they come across to others – this is why it’s crucial to have space at home in which to spend time alone. “Solitude allows you to reboot your brain and unwind,” says American author and psychologist Sherrie Bourg Carter. “Constantly being ‘on’ doesn’t give your brain a chance to rest and replenish itself.” A reading corner or a room with a specific relaxation purpose will ease tension or simply close the door on the world.
TIP Create a cosy nook where you can spend some quality ‘me time’.
One of the main things people with anxiety tend to worry about is how they come across to others – this is why it’s crucial to have space at home in which to spend time alone. “Solitude allows you to reboot your brain and unwind,” says American author and psychologist Sherrie Bourg Carter. “Constantly being ‘on’ doesn’t give your brain a chance to rest and replenish itself.” A reading corner or a room with a specific relaxation purpose will ease tension or simply close the door on the world.
TIP Create a cosy nook where you can spend some quality ‘me time’.
Create an inviting bedroom
After a particularly anxious day, I find that my bedroom acts as a safe haven where I can wind down and recharge. “An organised and attractive resting space is ideal for starting and ending the day in a calm frame of mind,” says Munro. “People with anxiety need somewhere they can unwind and totally switch off from the worries of the world around them.”
TIP Studies show that spraying lavender scent on your bedding can help to ease anxiety and insomnia.
How have you arranged your home so it’s a more relaxing, nurturing space? Share your tips in the Comments below.
After a particularly anxious day, I find that my bedroom acts as a safe haven where I can wind down and recharge. “An organised and attractive resting space is ideal for starting and ending the day in a calm frame of mind,” says Munro. “People with anxiety need somewhere they can unwind and totally switch off from the worries of the world around them.”
TIP Studies show that spraying lavender scent on your bedding can help to ease anxiety and insomnia.
How have you arranged your home so it’s a more relaxing, nurturing space? Share your tips in the Comments below.
Rooms that feel small, cramped and messy are breeding grounds for stress. “It’s easy for people with anxiety to feel pressured and on edge if there are piles of clothes, books and general household mess all around them,” says psychologist Angus Munro. “Having rooms that feel open around the home has a powerful stress-reducing effect.”
TIP If you have a modestly sized home, try some tricks to make it feel more spacious.