Your First Place – How Your Home Shapes Your Health

(This is a first part of a 3-part series)

You can’t fix the world overnight—but you can make your home, office, and 'third places' work for you.

We are definitely going through a crazy period as a society right now, and there’s not much hope for life ever getting calmer again. Humans are extremely adaptive species. But even the most resilient of us need to take breaks. Need a place that is safe and peaceful in order to reset and recharge.

Our spaces have power over our minds. Bedroom, or office, or kitchen—every space we regularly spend time at can support or sabotage us. And unlike global environmental challenges, when it comes to our everyday locations, we are not powerless and are able to make them work for us, not against us.

Home is a place where we likely spend the vast majority of our time. It is especially true after the pandemic forced us to set up our homes to be more than one functional space. Ideal Home (capital H) is much more than just a shelter. At home we feel both physically and emotionally secure, we can shed whatever masks we are wearing outside our home and feel safe being ourselves. Home reflects our personality, history, and values, providing a deep sense of identity and belonging. Ideally, home only includes items and people that belong to our closest inner circle.

Now, some of you may argue that this ‘ideal Home’ picture I’ve just painted is only available in the ideal world. And we live in the real one, where home problems sometimes feel more brutal than the ones from the outside. And while it is true, I want to emphasize the importance of having a place that matches the characteristics of the Home for the sake of our sanity and mental health. If this is not the case, and you find yourself in a position where there is no time when you can drop your guard, be yourself and breathe freely—it’s a sign that something needs to change. Security, solitude and belonging are our fundamental needs, and not having them met could lead to detrimental consequences.

If you are experiencing domestic violence or abuse, if you don’t feel safe in your home—please seek help ASAP.

But even conditions that are much less extreme can still have potential to negatively affect our health.

I learned to cook during the pandemic and kitchen became my favorite place in the house. I was able to let my creativity loose in there, experimenting with tools and ingredients, and getting praise from my family and guests I fed. Cooking felt so easy and natural. Until the moment we started preparing our house for sale. At first I welcomed this forced break from kitchen duty, but after weeks of take-out meals or trying to cook on someone else’s kitchens, 2 weeks on the road (we drove from Seattle to DC), I was devastated to discover that the kitchen in the house we just bought was absolutely non-functional due to poor design and shitty appliances.

So, we decided to renovate. Long story short, it took 12 weeks to finish the renovation, during which the oven got damaged beyond repair (another eternity to get the money for it and order new one). I ended up completely losing the habit of cooking, gaining a habit of eating take-outs or non-perishables. Result—plus 25 pounds and triggered relapse of an eating disorder.

This anecdote illustrates just how much a functional home can alter our health behaviors. It goes for every space, not just the kitchen.

• Bedroom setup to promote restful night sleep and/or most intimate connection with your partner.

• Smart storage solutions and organization to minimize clutter and maximize efficiency.

• Functional spaces that reflect your individual needs. For example, in our house we created a specialized craft room where every member of the household can get creative and messy.

• Personal sanctuary—a room or a corner that is just yours, with your own vibe, sentimental items, knickknacks and tools, where you can find solitude and feel as yourself as possible.

Here are some tips on how to level-up your living environment and make it more health-promoting:

• Ensure proper air circulation and be mindful when using fragrances and cleaning products. The air you breathe is a huge contributor to your health.

• Maximize natural lighting and help to accommodate for your circadian rhythms by getting exposed to as much daylight as possible during the day, while switching to calming red-orange-yellow light in the evening for better sleep.

• Think of what functions you need to be fulfilled in your house. These functions will be different for every person, depending on the lifestyle and preferences. So, think about your own situation, what do you do at home, besides sleeping, eating and showering. Design your spaces with these functions in mind.

• If you have lifestyle goals you are working on, think how your home could become part of your success. For example, creating a dedicated workout space will make it easier to adopt an exercise routine, just being in that space will kickstart a workout sequence in your brain, making it feel more natural and habitual. Or if you are striving for better sleep, make sure your bedroom is dark, cool and quiet, and that you don’t turn your bed into an entertainment center or an extension of the office.

• Try to get rid of clutter. Visual noise and poor organization creates multiple small irritants that you stumble across all day long. And even though each individual moment when you notice a dirty sock in the corner or struggle to find your earphones in a pile on the desk may not mean much, accumulating over time these instances may cause you a great deal of mental and physical resources.

• Something as mundane as twitchy light may drive me absolutely nuts in an hour, because light sensitivity is my thing. And god forbid a throw blanket is scratchy—it’s another version of my personal torture. Make sure to know your sensitivities and respect your needs. Sometimes investing into a high quality sound insulation or good lighting could be a solution for your exhaustion or irritability.

• If possible, introduce living plants into your home.

What are your go-to’s in home improvement?

Any projects you’ve done recently or thinking of doing to improve the functionality of your home?

Take a look around your home today—what’s one small change you could make to support your current wellness goals?