Did you know that almost 20% of Americans suffer from an anxiety disorder each year, which means about 40 million people? Anxiety is a problem, and your home is where you can start doing something about it. Is it important to have a home that produces less stress to counteract the other stressors in our lives like work, school, commuting and other demands. Use these tips to ensure that your home can be the tranquil haven that you and your family members need to remain in optimal physical and mental health.

1. Instill Ambience

Part of instilling peaceful serenity is setting the tone and mood of your home. Doing so means considering items that evoke our senses, instilling calmness. One thing you can do is layer textures, instilling warmth and coziness with a variety of fabrics used for rugs, drapery, and throws. Consider creating a dimming switch to rooms for softer lighting options. In addition to softening light, consider candles too. You should minimize noise too in at least a room or two, where you purposely choose not to have a television in it. If you are looking to renovate, you may want to consider adding a fireplace to a room which also instills ambience and peace.

2. Make Friends With Neighbors

One thing we don’t do enough of anymore is getting to know our neighbors and making conscious efforts to make friends with those around us. Not only do they function as a source of community support, but being part of a neighborhood with friends who we socialize with helps us unwind from the stressors of the day as well. Building interpersonal relationships and strengthening them strengthens us. Moving to a new neighborhood and getting settled has a whole set of stressors, but meeting your neighbors and befriending them helps socially and provides a source of local tips and advice.

3. Your Bedroom is for Sleep Only

Make your bedroom your source of serenity and calmness in your house, the place where you go when you need to center yourself and recharge. The guiding principle here is that you need, first and foremost, to make your bedroom for one thing - sleep only. This means moving the papers and folders you bring home from work out of your bedroom. This means removing anything not related to sleep from your bedroom, including keepsakes on countertops that take up space and collect dust. Finally, this means unplugging, taking out the television and any other real time devices that can keep you up at night.

4. Add a Splash of Paint

Adding a new hue to your walls is a simple, relatively inexpensive way to set the tone of each room and add a calming effect. Seek light, natural hues that will foster a natural, earthy feel to your home. Consider white, cream, blush or beige. We know that colors can impact emotions and mood, but did you know that there is a psychology behind colors? See color suggestions for each room type based on color psychology.

5. Add Some Foliage

Appeals to nature go a long way to decreasing anxiety and instilling calmness in a household. Adding elements of nature to our home provide physical and mental benefits to our wellbeing. In addition to opening your blinds to let natural light in, adding a natural scent such as from essential oils or adding a vase of fresh cut flowers can truly add a natural calming effect to every room. Why? Plants effectively improve both physical and mental wellbeing. They absorb indoor air pollutants from impacting us, but they also do wonders for mental health. They elevate mood, allow us to de-stress, and even enhance creativity.

Overall, the importance of low stress in your household cannot be emphasized enough. Consider these quick, straightforward fixes you can make that can lead to significant improvements in the tranquility of your home. Consider other fun, home renovation projects as well while you are at it!