It’s True – “Home is where the heart is”
Your environment is a true reflection of your own thoughts...and it goes without saying if your home is looking tired, cluttered and lifeless then it should be no surprise your probably feeling the same way emotionally.
Your space is a culmination of you, your aura, and your energy. It’s beyond just who you are in a tangible sense; it’s everything you are: your intentions, your mental processes, your actions, and your presence. We attract positivity by creating positivity.
Make Your Home Your Sanctuary… A Place for You to Relax and Retreat from the Outside World
What we do within the walls of our homes shapes our mood, affects our productivity, and influences our perspective on our entire lives, therefore it’s vitally important to create a space for yourself and your loved ones that radiate positive vibes.
Thankfully there are some very simple ideas you can accomplish quickly and easily that will bring more love, joy and happiness into your home and your life.
Bliss Tip#1:
Let The Sun Shine In. The sun transmits an enormous amount of energy. Lets face it our sun is the basis of all life on planet Earth. Harnessing some of it’s life energy is the very first step in bringing more love and light into your home and something that costs you absolutely nothing! So what are you waiting for? Open those shutters and let those rays of light shine on in.
Blissful Tip #2:
Less is More. As I mentioned earlier, your space reflects what’s going on in your mind and vise versa. If your home is cluttered with too much stuff, chances are your feeling unorganised and a constant feeling of overwhelm. That’s one of the beautiful things about spring time. It’s the perfect time to do that spring clean and get rid of things that no longer serve you. Less truly is more…and I promise you’ll feel more inspired in everything you do. The clarity of your thinking will help you be more productive and at the same time help you feel more relaxed in your fresh clean space.
Home is Where The Heart is…Decorate it with Things You Love
Blissful Tip #3:
Decorate with Intention. We should pay attention to design and the items in our home that breathe life back into us. Remove decor from your home that you associate with negative experiences or have no meaningful connection to you. Believe it or not these things are creating a negative energy in your home. Replace them with things that your passionate about and inspire you…Simple accessories that have a special meaning to you and your family…things that put a smile on your face every time you see them.
Blissful Tip #4:
Add More Colour Into Your Life. Today’s modern colour pallet is lifeless with all the earthy tones and excessive use of whites and neutrals. Which by the way is perfectly ok and gives a feeling of freshness, however excluding all other colours from your home is like removing all of the beautiful flowers from your garden. Flowers are what attract the birds, bees and butterflies. Color attracts life into your garden and the same goes for your home. There is much written about colour theory, and you only need to look at the natural world around you to see – and feel – its impact.
According to Feng Shui, colors are linked to particular emotions. To boost positivity in your home, get rid of dark and neutral colors that may lower energy levels and make you feel down. Every color brings a different energy to a space. Yellows usually add radiance, greens spur growth and flexibility, reds welcome prosperity, and oranges bring warmth and cheer. While there are so many meanings to color, the best color therapists I’ve met have all said the same thing: Start with your favorite colors and keep them on display.
Blissful Tip #5:
Become a Conscious Consumer. Knowing the materials that went into your home accents and who crafted them is important to attract good Karma into your home and also to the artisans that created them. In today’s over consumer based society there is a temptation to purchase low cost mass produced items for your home that are quite often manufactured under unfair conditions in sweatshops around the world. More often than not, you can purchase quality handcrafted items direct from the artisans themselves which supports their livelihood and often their entire communities. There is a wonderful website I discovered recently that does just this, check them out: https://www.novica.com
Thankfully more consumers are becoming more conscious with their wallets and choosing to shop with ethical fair trade manufacturers and retailers. Choosing items to decorate your home that have been created ethically, will – without a doubt transfer positive energy into your home.
Harness Natures Energy in Your Home…and Create Your Own Bliss
Blissful Tip #6
Connect To Natures Energy. With many of us now living in suburban jungles, we are so disconnected from the natural world and have forgotten it’s powerful healing benefits. It might go without saying, but decorate with plants everywhere! Indoor plants have a host of mental and physical benefits.
Plants fight indoor pollution by removing chemicals from the air. Studies have also shown improved mood and well-being; reduced stress, anxiety and depression; and increased feelings of calm, relaxation and creativity—and all simply from bringing more greenery into your home.
It’s well-known that plants breathe by taking in carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen. But in this process, they take in other gases and compounds, too—including potentially harmful volatile organic compounds. according to research from NASA by adding at least one medium-size houseplant per 100 square feet effectively combats VOCs. And growing two to four houseplants for every 100 square feet can remove up to 87 percent of air toxins in just 24 hours! I find this so amazing…but I admit I am a bit of a green thumb.
The start of spring is the perfect time to invest in a few new air-clearing plants: They’ll grow faster as the days get longer, and they’ll refresh homes that feel stagnant after winter’s hibernation.
If you don’t class yourself as a green thumb I’d like to encourage you to start with some potted herbs for your kitchen. Or if you have the space a small hydroponic system is another fantastic way to grow your own herbs. They are super easy to take care for and they bring with them a whole range of benefits. Scientists have recently discovered that eating fresh herbs can actually make you happier…not to mention they make everything taste much better, which is bound to put a smile on your face!
Another way to bring nature into your home is with imagery. A beautiful print or painting of a nature scene can instantly create an atmosphere of pure bliss. Make sure you fill the space on your wall with a large inspiring image to create the best possible impact.
Bliss Tip#7:
Cultivate a Soothing Space with Soothing Sounds. Music in my opinion should be listed at number 1. There really is nothing else that I can personally compare to emotionally moving music that has an instant effect on my state of mind.
I like to play music throughout my home most of the day. but especially when I am doing the housework. I personally listen to a whole range of genres. Whatever I feel will keep my spirits high at the time is what I reach for. Recently I have started dancing again too. My husband has never been much of a dancer and one day I remembered how much I used to dance as a young girl. So I decided when I was home alone at night while hubby was down in his studio painting, I would crank the music and dance my little heart out. It’s little things like this that can really ignite your flame again if your feeling flat and lifeless like I was. As woman we often put our lives on hold to take care of others, often times for years without realising it and we forget what excites us and makes us happy.
Blissful Tip #8:
Utilise Ancient Wisdom. Feng Shui originated in Chinese astronomy that some say date back to as far as 6000 years ago!. Feng Shui is the ancient Chinese art of balanced placement based on the concept that energy — called chi — must be free to flow through the rooms of your home.
The most important thing with Feng Shui is to make sure your furniture does not restrict free passage through your home. Choose pieces you love and avoid overcrowding with accessories and furniture, so that energy has room to flow.
FengShui is all about the structure of the five elements: wood, earth, metal, fire and water and how they interact with each other. Having something representing these five elements in every room is said to keep you grounded and balanced in your life and environment.
Although many of the tips mentioned here are in line with Feng Shui practice, it’s by no means a complete study on the subject. If your wanting to incorporate this ancient practice to it’s fullest potential, I’d highly recommend seeking advice from an expert.
Blissful Tip #9:
Add Some Scent
Essential oils can help clear negative energy and add happy vibes to your home. Simply put distilled water in a spritzer bottle, add three to six droplets of pure essential oil, and then spritz the air. To infuse a space with joy, use rose and orange essential oils. Rose is about love. Orange is about joy. So you’re infusing joyful love into your space. There are so many other amazing and powerful essential oils available, I’d highly recommend purchasing a book and learning about the qualities of each one.
Scented candles are of course another great way to freshen up your home. The flickering of the flame adds a peaceful ambience too.
Blissful Tip #10:
Separate Work from Home Life. Try to keep any negative work related conversations for outside of your home. Far too often we bring the bad things that happened at work home with us. Creating a negative association with our work, home life.
I worked from a home office for over 20 years, which was fantastic when my children were young, but once they grew up and moved out I found it very difficult to separate my business from my personal life. When I was stressed in my business, my personal relationships suffered and vise versa.
I now take my notebook, some snacks, a set of earphones, plug myself into my favourite music and work from my local library.
Since I made this decision my productivity has increased 10 fold and I can look forward to going home knowing that my work for the day is complete and my attention will be more focused on the task at present.
When working from my home office, even though it was in a separate building from my actual home, I would be thinking about the washing that needed to be hung out, or when I was doing the dishes I’d be thinking that I should be in the office paying the invoices and checking my email. Even my lunch break would distract me because I had to go into my home kitchen to prepare it. I would look around and see things that needed attention and my focus was instantly taken away from my business related tasks that I had been working on for the day. I was in a constant state of overwhelm.
Blissful Tip #11:
Create a Sacred Space: It may be in a separate room of your home, or a section of your living room that you retreat to that’s dedicated to self-nourishment. Your sacred space is the perfect place to ask for guidance, connect with the divine, practice yoga, deep breathing and connectiing to your sacred heart. As you refocus on your inner life, you’ll find yourself calmer, clearer, happier and more inspired to follow your heart. Whatever it is try to make it a daily ritual to retreat to your sacred place.
Items to include in your sacred space might simply just be a Yoga mat with a candle or 2, and piece of art or picture that makes you happy. Or for more ideas jump over to Pinterest and try searching “Setting up your own sacred Space” You’ll be totally spoilt with ideas and inspiration.
Trust that if you apply just this one thing alone, it will bring about a whole new wave of positive energy into your entire home.
In Summary:
Next time you step foot into your home notice for a moment how it makes you feel… Happy…Calm…Overwhelmed? In today’s hectic world stress is always present, but your home shouldn’t contribute to it. “Your home either nurtures and supports you, or it depletes your energy and leaves you exhausted. I’m a strong advocate that it should be the former.
Final Bonus Tip: It is easy to become overwhelmed with the to-do’s of daily living in the modern world. Adding in items that need to be completed around your home can add to that feeling. I suggest taking a moment to reflect on what you would like your home and life to look like and begin by taking small steps each day to create a calm and peaceful home.
Remember that small steps will get you closer to your goal than inaction. Which in turn will give you a feeling of achievement, getting you that bit closer to your goal of bringing more bliss to your home.