Managing Your Mental Health By Managing Your Space
The space around us can have a significant impact on our mood and mental health. For those of us dwelling in areas where winter casts its icy veil, the colder seasons can often feel like a cage, trapping us indoors. We may start to view our homes and workspaces as claustrophobic dens and resent the walls that shield us from the elements, rather than seeing them as the cozy sanctuaries they are meant to be. This sense of being trapped can lead to all sorts of mental health challenges, including isolation, disconnection, depression, anxiety, and even an increase in trauma symptoms as well.
Getting curious about what you need during colder seasons and tending to those needs can not only alleviate some of the seasonal depression and anxiety experienced during this time of year, but it can also be a chance to do some deep healing. Here are some tips for managing your mental health by managing the space around you:
Declutter and Organize
Clutter can be overwhelming and distracting, and it can make it difficult to focus on tasks or relax. Take some time to go through your belongings and get rid of anything you don’t need or use. You can donate or sell items that are still in good condition, or recycle things that are no longer useful. If you have a few items that you’ve wanted to give away to people in your life, wrap them up and ship them out to the recipients. That way, you’ll be reducing your own clutter, offering a gift to someone who will use and cherish it, and bring a spark of joy to someone’s life knowing that you sent them a random gift for no other reason other than that you were thinking of them.
If you are the type of person that likes a system for decluttering, check out Swedish death cleaning, a form of decluttering that sounds much more morbid than it is in practice, can oftentimes imbue deep meaning into the sometimes-arduous task of decluttering.
Once you’ve decluttered, it’s important to organize what’s left. Having a place for everything can make it easier to find what you need and keep your space tidy. Use storage containers, shelves, and other organizational tools to help you stay on top of things. Remember that you don't need to spend a ton of money to organize your home. Get creative about how you store things and create a flow that makes sense to you, not just what looks prettiest in a picture.
Use Your Senses to Guide You
Consider incorporating elements that promote relaxation and calmness into your space. This could include things like plants, candles, or soothing colors. Think about this element from the lens of your senses: touch, taste, smell, sight, and sound.
Touch: Are there soothing textures that you really enjoy? Maybe you love the feel of your cozy sweater, a heavy blanket, or a large pillow that you can cuddle. Make these items accessible to you whenever possible; instead of putting your favorite blanket in a basket, drape it over the end of your couch or bed, so you grab it every night when you are reading or watching TV. Place your favorite sweater by your front door, so you can slip it on every day when you come home. Make it easy for yourself to grab the things that you love the most and notice what a difference it makes in your day, week, and month to have comforting textures and tactile reminders of comfort nearby.
Notice if you need more physical touch during this season as well. When we feel isolated, we often crave physical sensation but aren’t sure how to go about accessing it. Finding a lotion that you like and taking the time to rub it into your arms and legs at night may be a way to achieve this. Another way could be scheduling a massage for yourself, or asking your partner for a neck or shoulder massage from them. Touch is a basic human need, and finding ways to be touched in a safe and comforting way for you may be an important avenue to explore this season.
Taste: Are there tastes that bring you pleasure that you can incorporate more into your daytime or evening routine? It doesn’t have to be a large meal that you create or a huge portion of ice cream every night (although it absolutely can be). It may be a cup of your favorite tea right before logging into your final meeting for the day, or a slice of chocolate from a bar that you’ve been saving. When you bite into or sip whatever you’ve chosen, take a moment to really notice the nuances of the flavors and textures that accompany it.
Smell: Notice the scents that evoke a sense of relaxation and peace for you, and then see how you can incorporate them into your daily routine. Switching to a new shampoo, lighting a lavender candle while you’re winding down at night, using a eucalyptus shower spray in the morning, or placing a few drops of citrus essential oil onto a tissue on your nightstand may be all you need to engage your sense of smell in a new way.
Sight: Are there colors that bring you a sense of calm and coziness? How can you incorporate more of that color into your home life? The decluttering and organizing that you’ve done may also offer different ideas to change your view at home to one of chaos and distress to centered and grounded. Even something as simple as moving an art print on your wall to a place where you can see it more often may offer a burst of joy for you. Notice what objects you’ve been hiding away and see if you can bring them into your line of sight more frequently.
An audit of what images you see on your devices may also be helpful. See if you can notice what images come up every day on your phone, work computer, and home devices. Change your computer or phone background to a new image, one that evokes feelings of comfort and warmth for you. If you want to take it one step further, notice the images that you scroll through on social media. Unfollow or hide any content that you notice affects your mood in a negative way, at least for the time being.
Sound: What sounds soothe your nervous system? For some people, calming nature sounds, like waves crashing on a beach or birds chirping, are incredibly helpful. For others, the neutral ambiance of white noise machines is what does the trick. If you find that your energy has been low and you are looking to move your body more, turning on a playlist of your own pump-up music may be the thing that you need to switch up your routine and get out of your head for a bit.
Guided meditation or audiobooks are additional tools for engaging with sound in new ways. Guided meditation is a form of meditation that involves a narrator walking you through a calming exercise. It can be an incredibly effective way to reduce stress and anxiety and achieve a sense of calm. Not only does it help you focus on the present moment, but it also encourages you to let go of negative thoughts and emotions. With a wide variety of guided meditations available online or through apps (Insight Timer is my personal favorite), you can easily find one that suits your needs and preferences. Audiobooks, which are available for free through your library, can be a way to learn something new or engage with a fictional world, all the while listening to a pleasant voice and resting your eyes.
Track the Differences
Tracking your mood can be incredibly beneficial when it comes to taking care of your mental health. By keeping track of your emotions, you can identify patterns and triggers that may be affecting your well-being, and take steps to address them.
There are many ways to track your mood, from simple pen-and-paper methods to sophisticated apps that use data analysis to identify trends. One popular method is to keep a daily journal, where you write down how you're feeling and any notable events or activities from your day. This allows you to reflect on your emotions and better understand what may be contributing to them. If journaling all about your day feels overwhelming, try writing one word related to your mood per day. If words seem too overwhelming, tracking your mood through colors is another option as well.
Another option is to use a mood tracking app, which can provide more detailed insights into your emotional state. These apps often include features like customizable mood scales, daily reminders, and data visualization tools to help you track your progress over time.
No matter which method you choose, the key is to be consistent and honest with yourself. Don't judge or criticize your emotions, but rather treat them with compassion and understanding. Remember, tracking your mood is not about achieving a certain state of mind, but rather about gaining insight into your own emotional well-being and taking steps to improve it.
Play around with tracking your mood before and after engaging with any of the sense-based practices suggested above. Notice if your mood changes when you snuggle up with your favorite blanket, eat a piece of fresh fruit, light a citrus-scented candle, change your phone background, or put on a guided meditation. All you are doing is engaging mindfully with the environment around you while paying attention to the environment within you. There is no right or wrong way to do this, so play around with what practices work for you and notice the difference it makes.
Investigate Deeper Meaning
If you are finding that your outer environment is reflecting a chaotic and distressing inner life, cleaning up your space, organizing it into systems that work for you, and engaging in pleasurable practices that activate your nervous system in a positive way can all be powerful methods for healing.
For many people with trauma histories, one of the narratives that was given to them by others in their life was “you aren’t worth caring for.” Sometimes, this belief can become ingrained in us, and it can alter the way in which we treat ourselves and our environments. By taking care of our physical spaces and ourselves, we are directly counteracting those negative messages bit by bit. You are valuable and deserving of love and care. You are capable of creating a life filled with joy, purpose, and fulfillment. It may take time and effort, but you are worth it.
If you find that negative beliefs about yourself come up as you try to take care of the environment around you, reach out to a professional for support. Be kind to yourself in this process and know that you are not alone. Each step you take towards self-compassion, self-love, and self-respect is a step in the right direction.
By creating an environment at home that reflects who you are, what you need, and what you value, you are sending a message to yourself that you are worth care and connection. Winter, while bleak and harsh at times, also offers a beautiful opportunity to connect with the parts of ourselves that feel neglected, and offer some tenderness and wisdom.
