Mental health and our environment

Over the last 5 months, my family and I have been in a state of flux. In November, we packed our belongings into a POD, sold our house and moved into my family’s vacant home, temporarily, while we looked for our new home. Although we have everything we need, not feeling completely settled in one place has been challenging. 

It has led me to evaluate more closely how important our home environments are to us and our positive mental health. How we live closely affects the way we feel. Do we feel grounded, settled and safe in our homes? Do we have clutter and things that we could purge? Are we surrounded by photos and joyful mementos or piles of old things? Is there an altar or special spot for calming our systems? Are there ways we can improve our living spaces? How does our environment impact our mental health?

Mental health and our environment

Sitting In my own feelings of not being in my home and not knowing where we will be in the near future has been very hard at times. It has become clear to me that I need a strong practice of grounding myself in each moment. Reminding myself of the gratitude for the security I do have and self care for the insecurities being unsettled is bringing up. Gratitude for knowing I will not be houseless or without a bed but compassion for the parts of me that feel unsettled. It has made me use my tools and listen to my own suggestions! 

Even if you are living in the same place for years, there may be things you can do to improve your home environment. I have been living without the majority of my things for the last 5 months and I realize that a lot of those things are simply not essential. I have boxes of mementos, photo albums, pictures and trinkets that take up a lot of space. However, the idea of giving away those things feels hard, if not impossible. Which do I keep, which do I part with? Yes it will feel good to do it, but I don’t think I can do it alone.

There are several options for going through things and purging. If you are like me, you may need the help of a good friend or to hire a professional organizer to assist you. There is the Marie Kondo approach, but for many of us dealing with depression, how can you know if something brings you joy when very little in life is bringing you joy. Seriously, when nothing in life is bringing you joy, your stuff probably feels overwhelming and like another thing to deal with. 

Sometimes we may just need to clean our space and renew the energy in it. I love a good sage and sweet grass room cleaning or Cloud of Protection by Nieves to spray around my house daily. It cleans space on an energetic level and “defends against illness, bad vibes and stinkiness.”

How Stuff Impacts our Mental Health

For me, what will happen when we finally close on our new home and have the POD delivered with everything we own. Will I be able to go through the boxes and give away the things that no longer feel sentimental or special? Will I be able to let things go because I have had my time with them and now it’s time for someone else to enjoy it? Can I simply let things go because I have been without them for months and I have been OK without them? 

What does your space say about you? What are 1 or 2 small things you can do to change it, without too much effort? Is there something you have been wanting to change or reduce in your home environment? What are some successes you’ve had with creating a positive space or purging your belongings? I’d love to hear from you! 

And if you are seeking therapy services, I’m seeing clients via telehealth in the states of Oregon and Washington. If you read this blog and wonder about the tools I mentioned, maybe therapy is for you. If you are interested in a free consultation, please reach out to me. To learn more about me and the work I do, visit my website about me page.