Discover the profound impact your surroundings can have on your mental state. Explore how simple alterations in your environment can serve as a powerful tool to soothe a troubled mind and foster a sense of calm and tranquility.
One of the biggest contributors to our happiness is something we barely pay attention to: the voice inside our own heads.
There are three main ways we can turn down the chatter in our heads: shifting our perspective so we’re not so immersed in our problems, talking with others to get support, and changing the environment around us.
Clear the clutter
When our thoughts and feelings seem out of control, one way we can get a grip is to exert a sense of control over our environment-by decluttering.
- Decluttering might also make us happy. People who have a more positive experience of clutter in their home-who are less ashamed, upset, or inconvenienced by their clutter-tend to experience more positive emotions, better relationships, and more meaning in life.
Surround yourself with nature
Plenty of research suggests that nature makes us feel good and improves our health, too
- Nature also seems to help buffer against the stress we experience in life
- Being exposed to green spaces protected people from the harmful effects of poverty on their health
- In another study, poor residents in urban public housing felt that the obstacles in their life were less severe and more solvable when their apartment looked out onto greenery rather than a cityscape
Create opportunities for awe
Being in nature, in the face of tall trees or breathtaking views, we often experience a sense of awe: the feeling of being in the presence of something vast that challenges our understanding of the world.
- We can also feel awe when we read poetry or listen to music, watch great athletic feats or our toddlers’ memorable firsts.
