What if coming home meant entering a space that’s custom designed to make you feel your best? I know I’d sure take a deeper breath — a health-maker in itself — when opening the door. Inhale, exhale and read on for 5 easy ways to feel good at home.
Add air-purifying plants. Not only do they clean and add oxygen to the air you breathe, but they also help relieve stress by bringing nature into your space. Our top recommendations: aloe vera, areca palm, English ivy, ficus and peace lily.
Remove bedroom blue lights. This one’s easy and free. The blue light that screens emit can disrupt sleep patterns. If you use a screen at night (yes, yes you do), download an app like Twilight or f.lux to reduce the amount of exposure to your eyes. Can’t possibly sleep without your phone nearby? Set it at least three feet away from your bed and switch to airplane mode to reduce distractions and disruptions.
Clean those air ducts. Houses have become increasingly air-tight in recent times in the name of energy efficiency, but the downside is that means that most of the air has been recirculated thousands upon thousands of times (ew, David). An annual air duct cleaning helps eliminate allergens, pet dander and mold spores. It also boosts your home’s feel-good factor by removing volatile organic compounds and chemical residues.
Diffuse essential oils. Unlike wax candles, essential oils infuse your abode with beautiful and beneficial scents without releasing harmful VOCs into the air. Try jasmine, lemon or chamomile to improve mood and increase relaxation, ylang-ylang to treat nausea and headaches, and tea tree to support immunity.
Get a flower subscription. OK, we’ll own that buying yourself flowers skews very Cher Horowitz. But it’s science: Fresh blooms offer a regular boost of joy. And the fact that you don’t have to decide to purchase them, transport them, and cut and arrange them yourself makes their arrival even more special. (Maybe Cher wasn’t that clueless after all.)
