Environment is everything. If you want to build new habits, it’s not willpower that will get you there, it’s your environment. If you want to be happier, it’s not the resolutions that you make that will make you happier, it’s the environment you live in that really counts. Even before the global health crisis, people spent 90% of their time indoors, and approaximately 70% of that time was spent at home. It follows that if you want to be healthier, happier and fitter, you need to ensure that your home is designed in the optimal way. The two most important things you should do are clean your air and transform your home according to biophilic principles. Here’s how.
Clear the Air
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says that indoor air is 200% to 500% and at times, even 100 times more polluted than outdoor air! This is because of the limited circulation indoors, and the temperature and humidity adjustments that people make in order to feel “comfortable”. This can lead to health complications such as coughing, eye irritation, headaches, allergic reactions, aggravated asthma and/or other respiratory illnesses; and even life-threatening diseases such as carbon monoxide poisoning or Legionnaires disease.
So, you want to start off by vacuuming at least once a week so you get rid of dust particles and other pollutants on your floors. Vacuum cleaners equipped with HEPA filters can capture the finest particles.
If you have a fireplace, or use candles, you want to reduce your use of them because the smoke they create is polluting.
When buying household cleaners, look for those with low levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), because these can also affect air quality and even lead to cancer.
Change your HVAC’s filter every few months to keep it clean. Upgrade the filter from 1-inch to 4-inch thick because the thicker filters do a better job of cleaning the air.
Become a Biophiliac
If you really want to freshen up the air, then you have to recreate all the things that make the outdoors so special, within your home. As a lover of nature (biophiliac), your assignment is to embrace more natural lighting, and the kind of natural materials used by Full Coverage Painting & Flooring in your furniture and flooring. Biophilic designs are environmentally friendly, and they give your brain lots of positive, calming and refreshing cues that make you feel much happier, more focused, and healthier.
In fact, scientists believe that biophilic designs help reduce stress and alleviate anxiety.
So, the first thing to do is disrupt the rupture between the indoors and outdoors. This means having wider windors to draw in more natural light. It means using multi-panel doors or keeping your curtains open during the day. It means having more live plants within your home. Plants clean the air, calm the spirits, and create a positive sensory environment for you to live in. Try and use textured wallpaper or materials with natural patterns and designs, or materials made with natural materials, to add to that feeling of being outdoors.
