Marianne's Tip of the Week

 April 2025

Your home should be a place where you can unwind and enjoy special times with loved ones. The way your house is decorated and organized can affect the way you feel. If you often find it hard to relax at home, some simple changes can help.

Get Rid of Clutter
A messy, disorganized space can trigger feelings of anxiety. Clutter has a way of slowly accumulating until it gets out of control. 

Set aside some time to go through each room and figure out what to keep and what to get rid of. You can sell unneeded items to earn some extra cash, donate them, give them to family and friends, or throw them away.

Decluttering is a time-consuming process, and people often avoid it because it feels overwhelming. Don’t try to do too much at once. Pick one area to declutter, such as a closet, and just focus on that. After you’ve finished that area, move on to another. 

Use Neutral Colors
Colors influence people’s moods. Neutral colors, such as white, beige and light grey, are soothing, while bright colors can trigger intense emotions, such as excitement or anxiety. To create a more relaxing environment, decorate your house primarily with neutral colors and use vibrant colors in moderation.

Brighten Up Your House
A well-lit space can make you feel calm and relaxed. During the day, open the blinds or shades to let in sunlight. Make sure that each room has plenty of lighting for the hours after the sun goes down. Use a combination of lighting types: ambient lighting to illuminate a large area, accent lighting to highlight sections of a room and task lighting for areas where you read, work or do other things that require focus. 

Reconnect With Nature
Plants can create a calming atmosphere. Put some plants on windowsills, display a bouquet of fresh flowers on the kitchen table, or place a fern in a corner. 

If your house is in a scenic area, enjoy the view. Open the blinds or raise the shades so you can take in the trees, flowers or mountains nearby, as well as birds, squirrels and other wildlife. 

Decorate With Items That Make You Happy
Don’t fill your house with knick-knacks. Instead, choose things that have sentimental value, such as family photos and souvenirs you bought while on a trip with friends. Place those items in places where you’ll see them regularly. 

Turn Your Home Into a Peaceful Refuge
When you return home after a long day, you should be able to relax and recharge. If you struggle to do that, some decluttering and redecorating might do wonders. Look around your house, identify things that are stressing you out and think about how to create a more soothing environment.