A house is not a home until it makes you feel comfortable, happy, and, well, better. Fortunately, some home projects can do that. They don’t even need to cost you a lot of money!
1. Extend Entertainment Outdoors
The outdoors are fantastic for your health. You can shake off feelings of cabin fever and soak up the sun. Sunlight exposure in the morning can increase vitamin D in the body, which improves the absorption of calcium. It also helps regulate your immune system and even reduce the risk of upper respiratory tract infections.
To maximize the outdoors, it’s time to upgrade the yard:
- Add a garden (or even a food garden).
- Include some shade, which is great for your afternoon tea time. You can look for covered walkways and canopies. Many of these have UV screens, which prevent fading of the material and protect the skin from the afternoon sun.
- Build a fire pit for bonfire evenings with the family or weekend barbeque parties.
2. Add Some Greens Indoors
Not all greens have to be in the salad. They can also be all over your house. Whether plants can improve indoor air quality is still subject to intense debate. What is clear is they can boost your sense of well-being for the following reasons:
- It’s human instinct to love nature. Experts believe that humans are biophilic, which suggests people feel an intense connection with nature, and we seek it. If you can’t get into the mountains or the forest, you might as well bring it with you at home.
- Plants can be stress relieving. In color psychology, green is a relaxing shade because it reminds you of nature. Many theories then try to explain how the natural environment can reduce stress. One of these is it redirects your focus outwards, so you spend less time ruminating or worrying.
3. Put Up Those Blackout Curtains
If there’s one good thing you can do for yourself, it’s to get the best sleep possible. Sleep deprivation can wreak havoc into your body in many ways. It raises the risk of metabolic syndromes, such as diabetes and hypertension. With your hormones out of whack, you could become overweight or obese.
The lack of sleep can also ruin your immune system. Studies already showed that people who don’t get much of it are prone to infections.
Many Brits, though, have issues with snoozing. According to a YouGov survey, over 70% couldn’t sustain eight hours of sleep. One reason is light.
To help you sleep, the body has to do a delicate balance of hormone production. As the sun sets, cortisol levels should go down and the amount of a hormone called melatonin should go up. This process, however, depends on the internal body clock, which is sensitive to light.
When you’re ready to snooze, put away your devices or at least turn the silent mode on. Use heavy blackout curtains as well to avoid outdoor lights from streaming into your bedroom.
The best home is one that helps take care of yourself. Doing these projects doesn’t break the bank, but they can already do wonders to improve your mood and physical health.
