Why your home may be causing stress

Photo by Svitlana on Unsplash

2000 was not a good year to be house hunting in Chatham, Ontario.   With very few homes to choose from, we settled on what our realtor told us was the best house for our budget.  But I was not a happy camper.  The floors were a patchwork of matted shag carpet, indoor/outdoor green carpet and linoleum.  Heavy velvet drapes hung 5 inches from the floor and dared any natural light to enter.  The bedroom walls were pepto bismol pink.  While the backyard boasted a lovely spruce and a birch tree (my favourite), the flower garden was contained behind a straight line of railway ties.  I could almost hear them saying,  “Don’t step over the line!  Touch not!  Pick not!  Smell not!   

So in today’s post, I’d like to highlight  a few reasons why your home may be causing you stress.  

Poor colour choices

If every room in your home is painted a wildly different colour,  your brain could be in danger of being overly stimulated.  While blues and grays are soothing and work well in bedrooms, an entire house painted blue can be perceived as cold and unwelcoming.   Reds, oranges and yellows are warm but if overused, can be too stimulating.  I personally like warm neutrals which gives me freedom to add colour with accessories.

Clutter & your reticular activating system

There is a network of neurons in your brain stem that acts as a filter.  It tells the brain what’s important and what’s not.  For example, a new mother can sleep in an apartment with loud planes constantly flying overhead but she wakes up the minute her baby stirs.  When our rooms are filled with too much clutter, this system is taxed to the max.  In addition, a study at UCLA tracked 30 families and discovered that the more items a woman touched in her home, the higher were her cortisol levels (stress hormone).  I have several clients who have reported significant reduction in stress by simply decluttering their rooms.  So, while we all know that a cluttered room brings stress, so does a stark, sterile room, devoid of any personality (think prison). Everyone has a different tolerance for clutter so I’d suggest that at the change of each season, you clean off all horizontal surfaces and then gradually add back what still looks beautiful and brings you joy.    

Awkward furniture placement 

Do you ever wonder why you feel “ahh” when you open the door to your hotel room?  It’s because our minds crave symmetry and order.  One lamp on either side of the beautifully made bed.  A chair with an adjacent  reading lamp.  A piece of art positioned at eye level.  And room to walk around without banging your shin on a footboard.  I once was asked to stage a living room that was filled with beautiful antiques.  The client said that the room didn’t feel welcoming.   No wonder.  When I entered the room, I was greeted by the back of the sofa.   By rearranging (and removing) some of the furniture,  she achieved that “ahh”  experience!   Rearranging furniture to promote good conversation (8’ apart or less) elevates levels of serotonin (a feel-good hormone) but crowding in too many pieces which impede traffic flow is stressful.  The good news is that you can try different configurations and it won’t cost you a cent!

Too many sharp angles

If you have a  hard-edged sofa flanked by 2 square side tables  with a square coffee table in the middle, you may feel stressed.  Our brains interpret too many straight lines as dangerous which raises our cortisol levels, causing anxiety.   

Curves are calming.  

You can add curves by simply placing a beautiful, round bowl on your table, or  draping your sofa with a blanket to soften the edges or perhaps consider replacing your square  mirror with a round one.  A round table can seat more people, and conversation flows more easily.  

Not enough plants

Never underestimate the power of plants to create serenity and promote healing.  I took a course on horticulture therapy when I worked for an organization which supported people with intellectual disabilities.  One gentleman who was highly aggressive and volatile was given a geranium as a gift.   Tom carried that plant wherever he went.   After only 2 weeks, his staff reported that he was far more relaxed and had significantly fewer episodes of aggression.  I habitually kill plants which is why I mix faux greenery with a few unlucky real specimens.  Science has shown that both have the same mood-boosting effect.    

Too many mirrors, not enough art

While mirrors are often used to help a small space appear larger or to help bounce light around a darker room, too many mirrors can also cause stress.  Why?  Because even if your room is organized, mirrors will double the clutter and our brains don’t like that.  Also, researchers at Kings College in London reported that people (especially women) who spent prolonged periods of time looking at themselves in mirrors had higher levels of cortisol.  Try replacing some of your mirrors with art, especially landscapes.   These have a soothing effect on our minds.   Another study carried out at the University of Bari in Italy found that a pleasant environment involving art is able to distract from bodily pain. When people surveyed observed paintings they felt were beautiful while being zapped by a small laser pulse, they rated the pain as one-third less intense than when they looked at ugly paintings or a black wall panel. These findings were then confirmed by electrodes that measured their brain activity.   You can also incorporate pictures that bring you joy.  When my sister was faced with a large blank wall in her new home, she uploaded pictures of her favourite travel adventures to a company called  Mixtile.  A few days later, the  6” X 6”  easy to mount canvases arrived, creating a lovely vignette.   

Poor lighting

A dark home is a depressing home.  So throw back the curtains!  Adopt the hygge practise of lighting candles!  Get rid of the single bright light in the centre of your ceiling.  Those are for interrogation rooms.  We swapped out our bedroom’s overhead boob light with a lovely chandelier from Home Depot, then painted the ceiling deep turquoise.  That “5th wall” is stunning and cost under $300.    Install under the cupboard lighting to make kitchen prep more enjoyable.  You’ll also get better results with your personal grooming if your face is illuminated with sconces on both sides of your bathroom mirror.  Have a strong lamp next to where you read, or knit or play Wordle.   But the best thing for mental health is to simply put on your shoes and go for a walk.  A walk in the sunshine can lift your spirits like nothing else.  

Too many synthetic surfaces

I loved the 70’s with its macrame hangers, leather-fringed jackets, hand thrown clay pots and all things natural.  I also love crawling into bed made up with crisp cotton sheets or drying off with a  thick Turkish towel.  Surrounding yourself with natural materials is soothing to the soul.   Our house is a cookie-cutter raised ranch with no architectural details whatsoever.   So we clad a wall in our living room with stacked stone and added a wall sculpture which holds 4 tealights.  Stone and fire!   What a difference it’s made.  So while polyester, chrome,  glass and plastic have their place, too much can leave us feeling cold and sterile.

So there you have it.  I’ve made many of the above mistakes because I followed the trends instead of listening to my heart.

Bottom line - may your home reflect who you are and the life you love to live.

Peace and joy!

Sue